A Midsummer Night's Beauty
by r.k.Oujirou
Summary: Shampoo decides to change course in her attempts to win Ranma's love, but the battle for Ranma's heart is about to turn into a battle for survival when she and Ranma become the targets of some fearsome foes.
1. Friends

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"DIE RANMA!!"

Genma Saotome, currently in panda form, and Soun Tendo looked up from their morning game of go as the disturbing sound of a wooden mallet cracking against a human skull resonated throughout the Tendo household.

"I wonder what Ranma's done to upset Akane this time," Soun said.

Genma simply shook his head, muttered something incomprehensible, and went back to planning his next move.

Akane stormed down the steps looking aggravated. "Honestly, you'd think that idiot would realize by now that there are other people in this house and that he needs to knock on the bathroom door before coming in!"

Nabiki smirked a bit while continuing to eat her breakfast. "Ooh, this sounds interesting. What happened this time?"

"I was taking my morning bath and all of a sudden Ranma just barges right on in to see me naked! He's such a perv!"

Ranma, in girl form, slithered down the steps with what shred of consciousness she had left. "Jeez, Akane, did you have to hit me so hard? I said I was sorry already. That old freak dumped a bucket of cold water on me while I was still asleep. I was just ticked off and didn't think to check if anyone was in there!"

"Yeah right! You just wanted to see me nude, you lech!"

Ranma didn't appreciate the comment much, to say the least. Then again, he never did. "Like I've said, if I ever felt like seein' a girl naked I'd just look in the mirror. My body's much better built than yours, after all."

"Do you want me to hit you again?!" Akane snarled.

Ranma's usual reaction would be to press Akane until she finally did hit him. But the urge just wasn't there this time. "Just forget it, it's too early for this. I'm gonna go for a walk."

Akane simply folded her arms and sat down at the breakfast table. Just as Ranma was about to leave, Kasumi walked in with a kettle of hot water. "Oh, Ranma, would you like to go for a walk as a boy?"

He didn't really care either way, but he figured that might be best. Ranma gently shook the water off of himself after he changed back to his male form. "Thanks, Kasumi."

Soun turned his head toward the door and watched Ranma leave. He couldn't help but wonder if something was troubling his future son-in-law. This thought process didn't last long, however, as it was interrupted by a panda tapping on his shoulder and pointing at the go board. Soun let out a gasp as he realized that Genma had him beat.

"Umm...err...do-over!"

Genma quickly scribbled onto a wooden sign the words "NO DO-OVERS!"

Soun's spirit sank as he felt the weight of defeat this cruel morning.

* * *

Ranma had moped along the streets of the Nerima Ward for close to an hour. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care. Lately he'd been feeling more on edge, his frustration with everything happening around him beginning to reach a boiling point.

The continuous efforts of Ryouga, Mousse, and Kuno to defeat Ranma, which he figured would eventually stop, were only increasing. Happosai's passion for his female form persisted, as did Cologne's attempts to coerce him into marrying Shampoo. And his relationship with Akane was a never ending roller coaster ride. Every time it seemed like they were getting closer, something would happen like what happened this morning and they would push apart again. To say it frustrated him would be a severe understatement.

He perched himself atop the metal fence that he always walked along when he was heading to school and stared off into the distance. He was just feeling a little stressed out, he figured. It was something that would come and go just as quickly.

"Man, why do I keep gettin' like thi-oof!"

Ranma was so out of it that he didn't notice the cheerful Chinese girl flying at him. Before he knew what hit him, she embraced him and he hit the ground with a thud.

"Nihao, Ranma! Today beautiful, yes?"

That voice. That silky, white dress. That long, lavender hair. There was no mistaking who it was.

"Dammit, Shampoo, why do you always gotta do that?!"

Shampoo quickly got off of him, shocked at the sudden outburst. Ranma had never gotten so upset over her doing that before. Until now all he had put up was a peaceful resistance, but this seemed much different. One look at Shampoo's face told Ranma that he'd gone a little too far.

"Umm, sorry 'bout that, Shampoo. I'm sorta havin' a bad day," he said.

Shampoo looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Ranma...look very angry. What matter?"

"Huh? I ain't angry. Just a little...I dunno."

Shampoo didn't say anything as she continued to look him over.

"Don't gimme that look, I'm fine. Anyway, I need to go, so I'll see ya around."

The Amazon warrior eyed her fiancée as he walked off. Even if he said he was fine, Shampoo could tell that wasn't the case. But much as she wanted to think about it, it was time to start her ramen delivery for the day. Reluctantly, she turned around and headed toward the Cat Café.

* * *

"Nihao, Great-Grandmother."

Cologne turned away from the ramen she was preparing for a moment to greet her great-granddaughter. "Good morning, Shampoo. Out paying a visit to the son-in-law, were you?"

Shampoo just quietly nodded, which made Cologne a bit curious.

"What's the matter, child, did something happen? You're usually a little happier when I mention Ranma."

"Ranma no in good mood today."

Cologne thought for a moment as she took a puff from her pipe. "My guess would be that he and Akane are having their differences again. Don't worry too much about it."

While she was waiting for Cologne to finish her delivery order, Shampoo continued to wonder about Ranma. She felt like it was more than the usual argument that was bothering him. Ranma and Akane had fought on numerous occasions, but Ranma had never let his emotions get the best of him to that extent because of it.

Once the food was finished and Shampoo started on her delivery, she began to think more about her current position with the boy in question. Ranma was always suspicious that she was up to something when he ran into her, and understandably so. For the most part she and Ranma got along well though. And there were times where Ranma showed that he really cared what Shampoo felt for him. When she started to wear a cursed brooch that made her show hatred toward Ranma, he chased after her with all his might to find out what was wrong. In the end, however, Ranma's confession of love for her was interrupted by Akane Tendo.

Shampoo narrowed her eyes as she continued pedaling her bicycle. Akane Tendo. She was the biggest obstacle to winning Ranma's heart. Any time Shampoo had put one of her plans into action, Akane found a way to ruin them. Nowadays it was tough to get close to Ranma because he and Akane were together so often. If Shampoo still had her Amazon mentality she'd simply try to eliminate Akane from the picture, but after coming to Japan she realized that the ways of the world weren't that simple. She would just have to win over Ranma's heart the fair way.

What Shampoo needed was a way to get close to Ranma and get him to trust her. If she could manage that, she could take advantage of the rift between Ranma and Akane to win Ranma for herself. But how could she pull it off?

Shampoo beamed with confidence as she rode forward. She had all day to work out a plan. Then tonight she could put it into action, and soon enough Ranma would be hers.

"Shampoo no play games anymore, Akane. Is time get serious."

* * *

Ranma had managed to walk around aimlessly for the entire day, stopping at a few places and being interrupted by some annoying people along the way. First he ran into Tatewaki Kuno, who accused him of interrupting his peaceful walk. Ranma didn't feel like arguing and began to walk away, but was soundly struck in the back of his head by Kuno's wooden sword. Needless to say, Ranma sent the "Blue Thunder of Furinkan High" flying. Then his adventure ended on a sour note when he ran into Happosai during his nightly bra and panty run. Ranma's mind wasn't in a favorable state at all and Happosai had little trouble dispatching his "pupil."

Nightfall had now come and Ranma was on his way back to the Tendo Dojo.

"What a lousy day. I try to get away from everythin' so I can chill out a little, and now I'm even worse than when I started."

Ranma took a deep breath as he looked around. At least it was quiet now, he figured. As he walked, he started to notice little things he'd never paid attention to before. The cool breeze on his arms and face, the sound of leaves on the trees rustling as the breeze caught them, and the streetlights and the lights that were still on in the homes he walked past, all illuminating the otherwise dark roads of the Nerima Ward. It was like that line he used to hear somebody say, that people never take the time to notice the things around them. Of course, anyone that ever heard him say that would probably question his manhood, so he was going to keep that to himself.

When Ranma reached the Tendo Dojo he hopped over the wall and began walking, but he started to hesitate before he reached the door. "Akane's probably waitin' in there to chew me out again over this morning," he muttered.

He decided it was best to take some time to mentally prepare for his scolding. After hopping up to the roof of the Tendo home, he laid down and stretched out as he stared off into space. It gave him a nostalgic feeling from not long after he'd come to this place with his father. This was the same thing he did after Kodachi poisoned him with paralysis powder from her roses and tried to kiss him.

Ranma shuddered as the unpleasant memory came back to him. It wasn't the kissing part that bothered him as much as it was that he had to lay on the roof all night, cold and unable to move. He was the type of person that didn't like to sit and ponder things, so having to lie on the roof without anything else to do was torture. After all, there's nothing to do but quietly think when you're in an immobile state. While he tried to repress the memory of that night again, he heard a light sound just behind him.

"Nihao, Ranma."

Ranma arched his head back to see what it was, only to see Shampoo looking down at him. He was a bit dumbfounded when he looked at her with the moon's glow peeking out from behind her head. She really was cute, he thought. But she was also incredibly sneaky. Ranma quickly sat up to better guard himself from any tricks she might be up to.

"Ah...yo, Shampoo. How's it goin'?"

"Shampoo fine. What Ranma doing on roof?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

"Hmm...enjoyin' some peace 'n quiet I guess. Does that sound girly or what?"

"No really. Shampoo never hear Ranma talk like that, but is okay. Least Ranma in better mood than last time."

When Ranma recalled his earlier encounter with Shampoo, he seriously regretted acting like he had. "Yeah, I'm really sorry 'bout that. Like I was sayin', it's just been a bad day. I didn't mean to snap at ya like that."

"Is okay. Shampoo no upset," she said calmly.

"Oh, well...that's fine then," he replied, somewhat surprised that she was taking it so well. "Why'd you come over here, anyway?"

"Mmm...come here because Shampoo want ask Ranma something."

Ranma knew how this usually turned out. He immediately wondered what she was planning this time. "What is it?"

Shampoo rested her head on her knees as she looked over at him. "What girl Ranma want to marry?"

Ranma was flustered by the sheer straightforwardness of the question. "Aww, c'mon, don't ask me somethin' like that."

"Is because Ranma no want to think about marriage yet, yes?" Shampoo asked with a sly smile.

Ranma scratched his head as he thought about it. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'm just tryin' to get stronger as a martial artist right now. I don't feel like thinkin' about who I'm gonna marry yet. Besides, if I got married then every other girl would get all upset and wouldn't want to talk to me anymore. I don't want you or Akane or Ucchan or Kodachi or anyone else to hate me for somethin' like that."

Shampoo giggled a little as she smiled over at him.

"What's so funny?" Ranma asked.

"Is nothing. Ranma always very honest is all. Shampoo like that about you."

"I guess. You get what I'm sayin' though?"

"Shampoo understand," she replied. "That why...Shampoo just want be Ranma's friend for now."

Ranma looked puzzled as he stared over at her. "Friend?"

Shampoo nodded. "No try to pressure Ranma to marry anymore. No more sneaky tricks. Shampoo just want be Ranma's friend."

Ranma couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was definitely not something he'd expect from her. "So...does that mean you're gonna go and marry Mousse?"

Shampoo gave Ranma an icy cold look that would put the fear of the gods into any normal man.

"I take that as a no," he said nervously.

Shampoo shrugged as she looked up at the sky. "Mousse have good heart, but he always just be old friend from child time. Shampoo never think of him as husband. Is just...Shampoo no want to pressure Ranma anymore. Still want to marry you, but wait for you to open heart to Shampoo. Is okay?"

Ranma wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. Still, Shampoo was just saying she wasn't going to pressure him into marrying her anymore. It wasn't like she was dumping him. She even said she still wanted to marry him. But for now, she just wanted to be friends. There couldn't be any harm in that, he figured.

Ranma casually stretched his hand out to Shampoo. "Alright, Shampoo, let's be pals."

Shampoo smiled and shook his hand, but then moved in closer and gave Ranma a hug. "Friends hug too, Ranma," she said, giggling.

Ranma kept his guard up at first, but Shampoo let go of the hug after only a second. It was unusually brief considering she usually wouldn't let go after she'd latched onto him. She really was serious about the friends thing, Ranma figured.

Shampoo stood up and looked down at him. "Shampoo need to go before Great-Grandmother worry. Ranma have nice night. Shampoo see you tomorrow."

"Alright. See ya, Shampoo."

Ranma watched as she waived goodbye and swiftly hopped down from the roof. What a day, he thought. It wasn't long before a sudden growling noise started coming from his abdomen though. "Oh man, I forgot about dinner."

* * *

Ranma quickly ate the grilled fish and rice that Kasumi left for his dinner, and then snacked on a couple of rice balls afterwards. He couldn't help but notice that the house was unusually quiet while he ate. His father and Mr. Tendo had decided to go visit the public baths for a change. Happosai hadn't yet returned from his panty run, not that Ranma cared. Nabiki was staying at a friend's house. And Akane, according to Kasumi, had been shut up in her room since morning. The part about Akane had Ranma particularly concerned.

"Maybe I said a little too much earlier..."

He didn't feel he was totally in the wrong though. After all, he did have a legitimate excuse. And it's not like he'd never seen Akane naked before. But he knew from experience that women were far more sensitive about things like this than he was.

Ranma finally decided to just go apologize and put an end to this. He calmly walked up to her room and knocked on her door a couple times.

"It's open, come in."

Akane was sitting at her desk and looking at a magazine of some kind when Ranma came in.

"Umm...hey," Ranma said nervously.

Akane initially shot Ranma an angry look, but her expression softened quickly. "Hi..."

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I was just frustrated and I said too much. I didn't mean all that stuff."

Akane was a little surprised that Ranma had actually come to her and apologized. He was normally a lot more stubborn about it. But she didn't mind. She felt the same way he did.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I know it was an accident, I just let my anger get the best of me. You probably hate me for doing things like that all the time."

"Nah, it's no big deal," Ranma reassured her. "So, we're good then?"

"Yeah, we're good. Thanks, Ranma."

Akane's smile assured Ranma that this whole incident was behind them. He could sleep well tonight after all, he thought.

"So, what did you do all day?" Akane asked him.

"Oh, y'know, the usual. Got into a fight with Kuno, got into it with the old freak, that kinda stuff."

"You beat Kuno up pretty good?"

"Maybe a little too good," Ranma laughed.

"Well it was probably his fault anyway, right?"

"It always is. I wouldn't have bothered him if he'd just kept walkin', but you know him."

"He really does love to pick fights with you."

Akane let out a yawn and looked at Ranma with a tired expression. "I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm getting really sleepy."

"Yeah, same here. It's been a long day," Ranma replied.

"Okay. Well, goodnight then. See you tomorrow," Akane said with a smile.

"Yeah, night Akane."

Once he closed Akane's door, Ranma let out a sigh of relief. He felt a lot better now that he'd cleared everything up with her. He'd learned long ago that life was a lot easier when she wasn't upset with him.

A short time later while he was getting ready for bed, he thought about his conversation with Shampoo on the roof earlier. He still wondered if she was up to something, but she did sound sincere. To say that she wasn't going to pressure him to marry her anymore was a pretty cool thing to do, he thought. But could she really live up to that?

Only time would tell, Ranma figured. After letting out a loud yawn, he rolled out his futon and undressed before turning in for the night.

* * *

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Growing Up

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 2  
**

"This is great! I can't believe it! Shampoo finally dumped Ranma!"

"Shampoo tell you that no it, stupid Mousse."

While Mousse was parading around the Cat Café as happy as he'd ever been, Cologne was none too pleased with her great-granddaughter.

"Shampoo, explain to me why exactly you told the son-in-law that you just wanted to be friends."

"Is so Shampoo can be friend with Ranma," Shampoo replied casually.

The Amazon elder rubber her forehead as she tried to remain calm. "Child, think about what we're here for. I came here with you to enforce Ranma's obligation to marry you. What you're doing is endangering all that we've accomplished up to now."

"We no better now than when we come here, Great-Grandmother. We come to Japan long time ago and Ranma still no accept Shampoo as wife. Try to force Ranma no work and it make Ranma mad!"

Mousse put some distance between himself and Cologne when he sensed that she was becoming irate.

"How dare you speak to your elders that way?! We will make Ranma accept his obligations whether he likes it or not!"

Shampoo turned and looked down at her great-grandmother with an icy glare in her eyes. "Great-Grandmother, this no is remote village in China. This big city in Japan. Think like that no work here. Shampoo think long time about this. If Shampoo want to win Ranma, then have to do it this way. If you no agree then is fine, but Shampoo no let you or anyone else get in way."

Cologne was still plenty angry, but what she felt most was complete surprise about how her great-granddaughter was acting. She'd never seen Shampoo so determined that she wouldn't even back down from her. That look in teenager's eyes was enough to make even her feel a little intimidated.

"And what if Ranma decides to marry Akane since you and he are just friends? Then what?"

"Then is Shampoo fault. Shampoo deal with it."

Cologne mulled over Shampoo's words for a moment, taking a long drag from her pipe and blowing the smoke across the kitchen. "Fine, do as you wish. He's your future husband."

Shampoo let out a sigh of relief as she walked away from the kitchen area and toward the door. "Thank you, Great-Grandmother."

Mousse adjusted his glasses as he watched Shampoo leave. "Well...so she's not giving up on Ranma. But still, they'll only be friends for a while! There's a chance for me to move in now!"

"I wouldn't even try it, Mousse. If you get in her way, she won't have any mercy on you either. Now get back to work. We're opening up soon."

Cologne looked away from the food she was cooking and watched her great-granddaughter diligently sweeping the area outside the restaurant. "Shampoo, you've grown up so much. I suppose this was inevitable."

* * *

Around noon at the Tendo Dojo, Ranma was doing some balancing exercises around the koi pond when his stomach started to growl. He decided to take a break to get some lunch, but when he went inside he noticed that Kasumi was nowhere to be found.

"Yo, Akane, where's Kasumi?" Ranma asked, poking his head into the living room.

Akane looked away from the television when she heard him calling her. "Oh, she went to a play with Dr. Tofu. She was worrying about what we would do for lunch, but I convinced her to go anyway. They don't get to go out often, you know?"

"Yeah, no kiddin'. So, what are we supposed to do about lunch?"

Akane reached into her pocket and tossed 600 yen at Ranma. "We're on our own. That's your share of lunch money. Hey, why don't we go eat at Ukyou's place? I'm kind of in the mood for okonomiyaki."

"Sounds good to me. She should be happy that I'm actually payin' for once," Ranma joked.

"Yeah, it's not often that you actually have money on you. Come on, let's go. I'm getting hungry."

As they were about to leave, Ranma and Akane heard a voice at the door.

"Delivery!"

Ranma seemed confused as he looked over at Akane. "Uhh...Akane, did you order takeout or somethin'?"

"No...you mean it wasn't you?"

"No way I'd forget somethin' like that."

When Akane opened the door, she was less than thrilled to see Shampoo there with a delivery case in her hand.

"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo said gleefully.

"Uhh...yo..."

Akane folded her arms and shot Ranma a nasty glare. "So, you called Shampoo over here to bring you lunch, huh?"

"He no call for delivery," Shampoo interrupted. "Shampoo think maybe Ranma hungry, so bring leftovers while take lunch break."

"Really? What'd ya bring?" Ranma asked, very intrigued by the aroma coming from the delivery case.

Shampoo opened the case and showed him a wooden container that contained half a dozen steaming buns. "Is too too delicious pork buns!"

"Oh man, pork buns...they look so good..."

"So, what did you put in them this time? Love potion? Paralysis powder? Both?" Akane asked in a sour tone.

Ranma couldn't help but recall the last couple times that Shampoo brought food over. "Come to think of it, it does kinda sound like somethin' you'd do."

Ranma cringed as he was struck over the head with Shampoo's delivery case. "Oww! Whadya do that for?!"

"Shampoo tell you she no do that anymore. Just want to eat lunch with Ranma like friends."

Just the word "friends" coming from Shampoo's mouth was enough to set Akane off. "F-friends?! All you've ever wanted to do was marry Ranma! Why would you want to be friends with him?! Just what are you up to?!"

Ranma remembered his talk with Shampoo the previous night. It seemed like she may really have been following through on her decision to not pressure him into marriage. Despite Akane's protests, there was probably no danger in eating lunch with her, he figured.

"Well, why not just give her a chance, Akane? Besides, it'd be wrong for those pork buns to go to waste."

"Ranma, I can't believe you! You actually trust her?!"

Shampoo could see she wasn't getting through to Akane. In an attempt to prove her innocence, she took one of the buns out of the container and took a bite out of it. "Now if something wrong with food, Shampoo affected too," she said.

Akane wasn't always sure of what Shampoo was thinking, but she was fairly sure that she wouldn't dare harm herself. Of course, this also took away any argument that she had against Ranma eating Shampoo's food, which didn't make Akane happy in the least.

"There, Akane, you convinced now? Why don't you eat with us? That okay with you, Shampoo?" Ranma asked.

"Shampoo no mind," she replied. She would've preferred to eat with Ranma alone, but anything he suggested was fine with her.

"No thanks, you two have fun eating with each other," Akane snarled.

Shampoo smiled inwardly as Akane stormed out of the house. If this was a battle, she'd just won the first round.

"Akane always such angry girl..."

Ranma sighed as he thought about the earful he was going to get from Akane later. "Well, whatever, let's just eat before the food gets cold. I'm starvin'."

Shampoo happily nodded and they went out into the back yard and started eating their lunch together, as friends for once. It was early yet, but Ranma was starting to enjoy this "friendship" thing with Shampoo. To be able to sit down and eat and not worry about her hanging all over him was a comfortable feeling. Akane's feelings on the matter were a problem, but he could deal with that later.

After they ate, Shampoo said goodbye and went back to work. Ranma, not having anything in particular to do, decided to take a little stroll around town and try to find something interesting to kill time. Of course, in his case, things usually found him instead.

* * *

Akane, meanwhile, walked down to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki for her lunch. She was still plenty upset that Ranma had accepted Shampoo's food. Despite the fact that they were supposedly only eating lunch together as friends, she still didn't like the situation. Shampoo had a known history of scheming to get close to Ranma. She made a mental note to interrogate him about everything later.

When she made it to Ukyou's restaurant she went inside and took her usual seat at the counter. She noticed that the place wasn't quite as busy as it'd been the last couple times she was there.

"Hey there, Akane. What'll ya have?" Ukyou said after taking a customer's order to a table.

"Umm...I'll have the seafood today."

"Alrighty, comin' right up."

Ukyou started pouring the batter onto her grilling surface, but she couldn't help but notice that a certain someone wasn't there. "Say, Akane, why isn't Ranma-honey with you?"

"Ranma is eating pork buns with Shampoo at our house right now."

Ukyou nearly flipped out when she heard of this. "Akane, are you crazy?! Why didn't you stop him?! He's probably being put under some kind of spell as we speak!"

Akane let out a sigh as she recalled what happened earlier. "Shampoo ate one of the buns herself, and she even offered to let me eat with them. She's a little floozy sometimes, but she's not dumb enough to put a spell on herself."

Ukyou was having difficulty accepting this turn of events. Shampoo doing something with no catch involved just seemed wrong. But if Ranma was in no apparent danger, then she really couldn't argue with he and Shampoo eating together.

"So, you don't think she's up to anything?"

"I really don't know. She said something about wanting to eat with Ranma as friends. It might be a trick, or maybe she gave up on marrying him and wants to marry Mousse."

Ukyou was delighted at the thought. "Ooh, that would be nice! One less person competing for my Ranma-honey."

Ukyou got a cold look from Akane, but didn't mind it as she was in a good mood for the time being. She finished making Akane's food and the two of them talked about less pressing matters for a while.

* * *

As evening set in, Ranma was running home as fast as he could, all too aware of how late he was for dinner. "Man, I can't believe how stupid I am! I never should've gone near Kuno's house! First that moron attacks me, then I fall into half a dozen of Sasuke's stupid traps, and then I almost get paralyzed by Kodachi's damned roses..."

When he finally got back to the Tendo household, he found Nabiki and Akane sitting at the table watching their regular drama on television.

"Well, hello there, Ranma. We had sukiyaki for dinner tonight," Nabiki said with a smirk.

"Great, I love sukiyaki! Is mine in the kitchen?"

Akane shrugged as she looked over at him. "Unfortunately, we ate it all."

Ranma dropped to his knees as he was overcome with depression. "Are you kiddin' me? That's...just cruel. What am I supposed to eat?"

"That's your problem. It's not our fault that you stayed out past dinner time," Akane said coldly.

Ranma, too depressed to argue, hung his head and walked back out the door. "Man, that's not cool at all. I'm starvin'...huh?"

When Ranma stuck his hands in his pockets, he felt the 600 yen that he was given for lunch earlier. "Ohh yeah, I didn't have to use it since Shampoo brought me lunch. Guess I'll go get that okonomiyaki I was gonna get earlier."

* * *

Ukyou was cleaning tables when she heard the door to her restaurant open.

"Hiya, Ucchan. Got anything good to eat?" Ranma asked.

Ukyou was delighted to hear his voice. "Ranma-honey! They forget to leave you dinner again?"

"You guessed it. Sometimes I think they enjoy doin' it to me."

"Well, it's alright with me. At least it means we get to spend a little quality time together, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Ranma watched as Ukyou walked behind the counter and fired up her grilling surface. "Can ya make me a meat combo?"

"Comin' right up! You gonna give me another IOU?"

Ranma felt proud as he pulled the 600 yen out of his pocket. "Believe it or not, I actually got money today."

"My goodness, what's the world coming to? Ran-chan having money. That's just ridiculous," Ukyou joked.

"Hey, cut it out..."

Ranma started digging into his okonomiyaki as soon as it was finished. As she watched Ranma eat, Ukyou remembered her conversation with Akane earlier in the day. Apparently there really was nothing wrong with Shampoo's food, seeing as how Ranma looked to be alive and well. Still, she was curious as to what was going on between the two of them.

"Say, Ran-chan, I was talking to Akane earlier. She said you and Shampoo were eating lunch together today."

"Yeah, she brought over some leftover pork buns."

"Ranma, you should know by now that Shampoo schemes a lot. Didn't you think there might be something up with that food of hers?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't think she's pullin' funny stuff like that anymore."

Ukyou recognized this as one of the bits of information that Akane had given her earlier. "I heard something about Shampoo wanting to be your friend. Does that mean she gave up on marrying you?

Ranma didn't seem to mind the interrogation as he continued to eat. "Nope, that ain't it. She thought she was puttin' too much stress on me with all that marriage stuff or somethin', so she said we're just gonna be friends for now."

Ukyou was shocked. Who would've thought that Shampoo actually cared about the well-being of people? "Well, that's strange, but I guess it's good if she won't be pulling any tricks to get you to marry her anymore."

"Tell me about it. I can actually relax when she's around now."

Ukyou narrowed her eyes when Ranma uttered those words. He'd be able to relax when Shampoo was around? That meant that he didn't mind being around her anymore. Wouldn't that help Shampoo's chances with him? But it was such a risky move. It was hard to imagine Shampoo doing something like this. Still though, Ukyou had been friends with Ranma for a long time, and she knew Ranma was always more relaxed around her. But she was always busy with her restaurant, whereas Shampoo had Cologne and Mousse to cover for her. Shampoo would clearly have more time to spend with her Ran-chan. The more she thought about this development, the more it bothered her.

There was a clang as Ranma put his 600 yen on the counter. "Go ahead and keep the change, you can take it off my tab."

"Alrighty, Ranma-honey. Thanks for the business," Ukyou smiled.

"See ya later, Ucchan."

Ukyou stared at the door for a moment after he left, biting down on her fingernail as she pondered what course of action to take. "I might have to make a move and get a little closer to him myself..."

* * *

The sky had a purple hue to it as Ranma walked home, the sun having begun to set while he was at Ucchan's. As he was passing a house, he almost walked into a bike coming out from the front gate.

"Ranma!" Shampoo said, surprised to see him.

"Hey, Shampoo. Out doin' deliveries this late?"

"That right. But what Ranma do here?"

"Oh, the Tendo's didn't leave me any dinner. I had to go eat at Ucchan's."

"That not very nice..."

"Yeah, it happens a lot. Not like I can complain though. I mean they are letting me and Pop stay there for free."

"Guess Ranma right," Shampoo replied. She detested the idea of the Tendo family treating Ranma like that, but she knew she had little place to get involved in the Saotome and Tendo families' affairs.

"Anyway, c'mon, I'll walk ya home."

Shampoo couldn't believe her ears. Ranma was actually offering to walk her home?. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, she happily agreed.

"Y'know, I've been wonderin' for a while, don't you miss your family back in China?" Ranma asked as Shampoo pushed her bike alongside him.

Shampoo put her hand on her chin as she thought about it. "No really. Family no is very close. Shampoo have Great-Grandmother here too, so is okay."

"But what about your parents?"

"Shampoo's mother very busy. She have high rank among Amazon woman. Mother travel between all tribes and help keep peace."

"Wow, that's really somethin'. What about your dad?"

"Mmm...Shampoo only see father couple of times. He no is part of Amazon tribe. Last time Shampoo see father was when he visit after Shampoo meet Ranma. He come with Shampoo and Great-Grandmother to Jusenkyo when Shampoo fall into cursed spring. Get very upset that daughter turn into cat. Mother tell Shampoo that father defeat her in fight one day, so she marry him. He get mother pregnant with Shampoo, but then say he want to go explore world. Leaders of tribe no mind since he already leave strong child with mother. Father very nice man though, and he very strong too."

"Oh yeah? What kind of martial art does he practice?"

"Father learn many different style, even ninjutsu from Japan," Shampoo replied.

"Woah, so you're the daughter of a high ranking Amazon official and a ninja. That's pretty cool," Ranma said, seemingly impressed.

"Shampoo train very hard to meet expectation of parents and other Amazon woman."

"Well, you're a really good fighter. I bet they're proud of ya."

Shampoo smiled at him and nodded, a little embarrassed. This was like a dream to her. She wasn't only walking with Ranma, but being complimented by him. It was exactly what she'd been wanting ever since she came to Japan.

When they reached the Cat Café, Shampoo was a little sad that she and Ranma had to part for the night. But she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she'd get to walk with him.

"Well, guess I'll get goin'. Thanks for keepin' me company. It was kinda nice to just talk like normal, y'know?" Ranma said.

"Shampoo happy that Ranma enjoy company," she replied with a smile.

Shampoo leaned her bike against the gate outside the restaurant, walked over to Ranma and wrapped her arms around him. Ranma was surprised and tensed up a bit, that being his normal reflex to her hug, but he didn't get the cautious feeling he often got when she did this. He let her hug him for a few seconds before she released him.

"Ranma have nice night!" Shampoo said, grabbing her bike and hurrying inside.

"Y-yeah, see ya."

As they were talking to each other, Ranma and Shampoo had been unaware of the old woman perched atop the restaurant watching them.

"Amazing. Simply amazing. All of my plans to get the boy to marry Shampoo fail, and yet she's closer to him than ever before after choosing to handle the situation on her own."

Cologne looked down at her wrinkled palm as she thought about Shampoo's earlier words to her, that her way of thinking wouldn't work here. There may have been some truth to it after all. And it may not just be an issue of location, but perhaps her ways of handling things were just outdated in general. But even if that were the case, it didn't really change anything. It only convinced her all the more of something that she'd known for a while now, that being that Shampoo was very special. She could very well be the one to lead the Amazon nation into a new age.

Cologne suddenly whisked her head around as she heard something unusual. She happened to catch sight of the silhouette of a woman looking at her from a tree a short distance away. Aware that she'd been spotted, the woman fled the scene with impressive speed. The old woman continued to sit atop the restaurant as she pondered the identity of the visitor and what their purpose was.

* * *

Now a safe distance from the Cat Café, the woman stopped in a clearing next to a small pond.

"So, how do they look?" a man asked.

"Like normal teenagers. I didn't catch either of them displaying their fighting skills, so I can't make any judgments about them yet," she replied.

"That's fine, Meilin. We'll see what they're capable of very soon."

"I guess you're right. Should be fun either way. Right, Li?"

The man named Li looked toward the sky as the gentle wind sifted through his hair. "Those two were able to defeat our prey. I don't think we'll be disappointed."

* * *

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. A New Threat

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

It was just another day in the Nerima Ward as Shampoo departed on another delivery. Cologne made sure to warn her about the mysterious woman she saw near the restaurant the night before, but it didn't worry Shampoo. She was confident as ever in her ability to combat anyone that might come after her.

Besides, there were more interesting things going on, like the growing bond between herself and Ranma. He'd been very welcoming toward her since they talked on the roof of the Tendo home the other night. It was as though he never really minded her company, but was just inconvenienced by her advances toward him before now. That plus he was stubborn as a mule and hated the idea of letting Cologne think that anything was going according to her plans.

Shampoo was nearing the vacant lot along her delivery route when she had a feeling that something was out of place. There was a distinct sound in the air of metal scraping together. It was close, and closing in quickly. She immediately dropped the delivery case she'd been carrying and leaped from her bike. As she spun around, she saw a very lengthy blade tearing through the air and heading straight for her. Once Shampoo hit the ground she lunged to her right to avoid the weapon, but it was far more maneuverable than she expected. The sword swung back around and ripped into the left side of her torso.

Shampoo cried out in pain as the sword tore into her, but quickly regained her composure. Whatever she was facing, she knew that she needed more room to move around. Clutching at her wound and breathing heavily, she ran into the vacant lot and awaited her assailant.

"Now that was disappointing. I was thinking I might have a challenge from someone that defeated Monlon of the Seven Lucky Gods."

A woman holding what looked like a small machete appeared and walked ever so slowly into the lot, running her fingers through her short, wavy hair that was white as the winter snow. She was wearing a dark colored tank top and tight-fitting black shorts and sandals, and was wrapped in a scarlet colored cloak. Try as she might to recognize her, Shampoo couldn't remember this woman from anywhere.

"Who you?! Why you attack Shampoo?!" the wounded Amazon yelled, her face showing a great deal of discomfort as blood began to stain her shirt.

"Meilin. So nice to meet you. I came here for a fight, but I'm not sure you're worth my time anymore."

"You attack from behind like coward!"

"Oh? Then you'll do better if I attack from the front?"

Meilin raised her machete up into the air, looking ready to attack once again. What puzzled Shampoo was how the woman could attack her with such a short weapon from this distance. And where was the longer weapon she used earlier?

With a dark smile across her face, Meilin brought her hand down swiftly. As it turned out, the machete had multiple segments that extended outward one at a time. Shampoo quickly dove to her right as the sword raced toward her, but remembered that the weapon still struck her the last time she did this. Seeing that the blade was hooking back around to swipe at her again, she used her right arm to boost her out of the sword's range just before it would have put another gash in her already wounded side.

When Meilin pulled her arm back, the sword's segments folded up cleanly and gave it the single-bladed appearance it had before. "Well now, maybe you're more capable than I thought. So, how do you like my snake sword? Amazing, isn't it?"

Shampoo was in so much pain that she couldn't even respond. Avoiding that last attack caused her wound to open up even further and she was now beginning to lose a significant amount of blood. If she'd only avoided the first attack then this wouldn't be such a difficult situation, but as things were it was only a matter of time before her consciousness would fade and she knew it.

"Not going to say anything? Fine, let's see you dodge my attack again then!"

Meilin readied her sword to rip through the air once more, but a hand grabbed hold of her wrist before she could swing.

"I think this should send the message to her friend, don't you? Besides, it's no fun if you finish her off now," Li chuckled.

Meilin took a deep breath to calm herself down before sliding her prized sword into the sheath on her back. "I guess you're right. I'll let you live for today, little girl."

Shampoo's eyes widened when she noticed a large scythe strapped to the back of the man named Li. Before she came to Japan in search of Ranma, there was a story told by visitors of her village where bodies of warriors had been found with horrible gashes all over them. In several cases, witnesses reported seeing two strange people nearby. Those people were described as a woman with a machete and a man with a scythe. But whenever authorities chased after the two, they were nowhere to be found. It was as if they'd vanished into thin air, like ghosts. The Amazon village was asked by authorities to keep an eye out for them, but they were never spotted. To this day they were still believed to be at large. And now, in front of Shampoo, here stood a woman with a sword that at first sight looked to be a machete, and a man with a scythe.

"I'll be back as soon as we take care of your friend, Saotome," Meilin said, turning her back to Shampoo. "Bye now."

"You no hurt Ranma!" Shampoo yelled, but the pair were gone before she could take even a step.

She barely managed to make it to the concrete wall and lean herself up against it before slumping down into a sitting position. These people were vicious and they were going after Ranma next, but she couldn't do anything in her weakened state. Shampoo could only hope that someone would find her while she was still conscious so that they could warn Ranma of the coming threat.

* * *

The sun had set and it was starting to grow dark as Ranma was out running an errand for Kasumi. He'd had an uneventful day compared to most, aside from the usual fighting over food with his father. Even Happosai hadn't picked a fight with him. Just one of those lucky days, he figured.

As he walked atop the walls, he noticed a strange sight in the vacant lot where he'd had battles on several occasions.

"What the..."

He looked closely at the area, noticing a trail of blood along the ground. "This looks fresh too. Wonder where it leads t-"

Ranma gasped as he saw Shampoo sitting against the wall, her clothes drenched in blood.

"Shampoo! What happened?!" he yelled as he ran over to her.

Shampoo didn't respond. Ranma quickly checked her pulse, feeling extremely relieved when he felt a beat. "Okay, she's just unconscious. I gotta get her some help though, and fast."

He carefully picked her up and began to run to the only place he could think of, Dr. Tofu's office.

"Just hang on, Shampoo! You're gonna be okay, you got it?!"

* * *

Dr. Tofu had already closed his office for the night and was preparing some miso soup for his dinner when he heard a loud knocking at his office door.

"My, who could it be at this hour?"

As Tofu walked toward the door, he heard a familiar voice yelling.

"Doc, open up! Shampoo's hurt real bad!"

Dr. Tofu quickly unlocked his office door when he saw Ranma with a frantic look on his face and a bloodied Shampoo in his arms. "What's going on?!"

"I found her like this just now. Looks like she's got a real bad wound in her side."

Tofu looked over Shampoo and examined the large blood stain on her shirt. "This is just awful. Bring her into my examination room, hurry."

Ranma followed him and placed Shampoo on the bed. Tofu removed Shampoo's shirt and placed a blanket over her chest while he tended to the large cut.

"It doesn't look like her organs have been affected at all, but this is still a very deep gash. Judging by how smooth the cut looks, I'd have to say it was done by a blade of some sort," Tofu said.

"A blade? Like a sword? But the only one that uses swords around here is Mousse, and there's no way he'd do this..."

"Well, whoever it was they left her alive. At least we can be thankful for that."

Ranma looked down at Shampoo's face. She was a martial artist and was always prepared for this sort of situation, but the thought of someone doing this to her still enraged him. "Whoever did this is gonna get their ass kicked when I find 'em..."

Once Tofu finished disinfecting and stitching up Shampoo's wound, he bandaged it thoroughly and ran a couple tests on her just to be safe. "Well, she seems stable for now. She needs to rest for a while, but she should be much better in a few days."

Ranma let out a sigh of relief. "Man, that's good to hear. Thanks a lot, Doc."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Elder Cologne is wondering where she is, so I'll call and let her know about this. In any case, I think you should head on home for the night."

"Go home? But what if whoever did this comes back for her?" Ranma asked. Leaving Shampoo's side was the last thing he wanted to do in this situation.

"Ranma, why do you think someone would do this to her and leave her alive?" Tofu asked him.

Ranma had to think about it for a moment. "I dunno, maybe to send a warning or somethin'?"

"Exactly, meaning they're most likely after others as well. Until we know their motives, I think it would be best if you stayed close to everyone at the Tendo home."

He had a point, Ranma thought. It was bad enough that this had happened to Shampoo. He definitely didn't want anyone from the Tendo family to suffer the same fate.

"Don't worry about Shampoo," Tofu assured him. "Elder Cologne and I will be here to make sure she's safe."

"Alright, Doc, I'll leave her to you then," Ranma said reluctantly. "Just be careful."

"You do the same."

After contacting Cologne, Tofu poured himself a hot cup of tea and sat next to Shampoo. "Seems things have gotten rowdy around here. Whatever happens, I just hope these young ones are prepared."

* * *

As Ranma walked home, his mind was fixated on the horrible image of Shampoo covered in blood. Why did something like this have to happen now, after he'd finally seen another side to her and was getting along with her so well? He wanted to know who hurt her, and he wanted to know now.

"Welcome back, Ranma," Kasumi said as Ranma entered the house. "Oh, I found a letter for you at the front gate a while ago."

Wondering if the letter could be connected to what happened to Shampoo, he immediately ripped it open and began reading.

"Ranma Saotome, if you want revenge for what happened to the girl then head due west from your residence and come to the forest at noon tomorrow. Come alone, and be prepared to fight."

Ranma felt a rush of both hatred and excitement as he read the letter. He wouldn't have to wait long for his chance to pay back whoever hurt Shampoo. Tossing the letter to the ground, he marched straight toward the dojo. "You're on, pal!"

Curious as to why Ranma was so worked up, the eldest Tendo daughter picked up the letter and read it. She'd just finished reading when Genma walked in.

"Oh, Kasumi, I thought I heard the door open. Has Ranma come home yet?"

"Yes, he just returned, Mr. Saotome. It seems he's been sent a challenge letter though, and he went to the dojo after he read it."

"A challenge letter? May I read that?"

Kasumi handed him the crumpled letter. Genma couldn't help but wonder about the part that mentioned getting revenge for a girl. Seeking more detail on the situation, he went over to the dojo to find his son.

* * *

Ranma had removed his shirt and was doing some fairly intense warm-up exercises when his father entered.

"Ranma, I read that letter you got. What's going on?"

"Someone attacked Shampoo, now they wanna fight me," Ranma said, not stopping his warm-up nor looking at his father while he spoke.

"What happened to her?"

"She had a big cut in her side, lost a lot of blood. Dr. Tofu said someone did it with a sword."

Genma became concerned as he looked down at the crumpled challenge letter. "So, these guys are serious then. They must be exceptionally skilled if they're able to hurt someone as strong as Shampoo that badly."

"I don't care how strong they are. I'm gonna kick their sorry asses for what they did!" Ranma said angrily.

This looked to be far from the usual opponent for Ranma, but it was obvious to Genma that his son had no intention of running from the challenge.

"Ranma, it's not often that you've encountered foes that are willing to go this far, but it's something you should always be prepared for should such a time come. It's our duty as Anything-Goes Martial Artists to accept any challenge presented to us, no matter how dangerous they may be. I know you can handle it, just be careful."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Pop. How 'bout sparrin' with me for a while?"

"Sure thing, boy."

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. Disappearance

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**

The following morning at Dr. Tofu's office, Shampoo awoke to find her great-grandmother at her bedside.

"I see you've finally awakened, Shampoo," Cologne said.

Shampoo was still hazy from her long sleep and wasn't sure of what was going on. "Great-Grandmother, where this?"

"We're at the young Dr. Tofu's clinic. You've been resting here since you were attacked yesterday."

Shampoo began to remember the incident with the white-haired woman attacking her. She gently touched the side of her abdomen and let out a gasp when she felt the rush of pain. "How Shampoo get here?"

"Apparently the son-in-law found you not too far from this place," Cologne said.

"Ranma bring Shampoo here?" she asked. It was only then that she remembered her assailants had said they were going after him next.

"Great-Grandmother, those two after Ranma too! We need warn Ranma!"

"Calm down, child, I already know about it," Cologne replied very calmly. "First though, tell me, do you know who it was that attacked you?"

Shampoo nodded. "Is murderers from China Great-Grandmother tell Shampoo about before, woman with sword and man with scythe."

"Those two? Are you certain?" Cologne asked, looking very surprised. She hadn't heard about the pair in question in quite some time.

"Shampoo know is those ones!" she replied. "Only woman attack Shampoo. She say she know Shampoo defeat Monlon of Seven Lucky Gods."

"Seven Lucky Gods? That group from Nekonron? Hmm...perhaps there is a connection between the two then."

"Great-Grandmother, what happen to Ranma?!" Shampoo asked impatiently.

"Ah, yes, the son-in-law. I called the Tendo home earlier to speak with Ranma about the incident," Cologne replied. "However, the eldest daughter said that he'd left to go fight with someone. She also said he received a challenge letter yesterday that mentioned you being attacked. I believe he was supposed to fight them in the forest west of town at noon today."

Despite the fact that Ranma was challenged instead of ambushed like she was, Shampoo still felt extremely fearful for Ranma's safety. Meilin was no weakling, and the way she accepted the man's proposals would be reason to believe that he was just as skilled, if not more so than she was. As strong as Ranma was, those two teaming up against him would be a serious threat. And what was worse, these people didn't seem to believe in holding back. The ferocity of Meilin's attack on Shampoo was enough to see that. If they felt like it, they might just kill Ranma.

"Great-Grandmother, you go help Ranma, yes?! Shampoo no think Ranma can handle those ones!"

"I'll do no such thing," Cologne replied. "Ranma was issued a challenge and he accepted it. It's not my place to intervene. If the son-in-law is unable to defeat those two, then and only then will we make our move. I'm not about to let murderers go free, especially after they attacked my great-granddaughter."

"But, Great-Grandmother...!"

"Oh, I see you're up," Dr. Tofu said cheerfully as he walked in. He set a tray with a cup of tea and some food on the table next to the bed. "Here, I brought you some lunch. It's not a lot since we don't want to aggravate that injury too much, but I'm sure you're getting hungry."

Having missed two meals while she slept, Shampoo noticed that she was feeling a bit hungry. She picked up half of a sandwich that the doctor brought in and slowly began eating. Unfortunately, it did little to keep her from worrying about Ranma.

"Well, you seem fine, so I suppose I'll go open the restaurant," Cologne said. "Oh, I made sure not to tell Mousse you were hurt. You probably don't want that birdbrain here causing you trouble."

"Don't worry about a thing, Elder Cologne, I'll make sure she doesn't overdo it too much," Tofu assured her.

Cologne thanked the doctor for taking care of her great-granddaughter and the two of them left the room.

"Please eat and then get some more rest, Shampoo," Tofu said. "That wound will heal more quickly if you just stay put. I'll be tending to other patients throughout the day, but if you need anything just yell for me, alright?"

Shampoo nodded and laid her head back onto the pillow as Dr. Tofu closed the door. She didn't want to rest. There was no way she could. The only thing she could think of was Ranma. If she slept all day and then heard that something had happened to him later, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. If her great-grandmother wouldn't go help Ranma, she would just have to do it on her own.

Enduring the pain in her side as best she could, Shampoo slowly got out of the bed. Noticing a blue dress of hers on a chair which her great-grandmother had apparently brought over, she quickly put it on and started to consider her escape options. She knew Dr. Tofu wouldn't allow her to walk out of the office in her condition, so leaving through the door wasn't going to be possible. The partially open window then caught her eye. This would work nicely, she figured. She managed to slip through and started to make her way to the forest. It wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to make sure Ranma was safe.

* * *

As noon approached, Ranma entered the forest that the challenge letter had specified. He walked very slowly, a dead serious expression on his face and hands in his pockets. Despite knowing that the challenge awaiting him was probably going to be on a different scale than his fights with Ryouga or Mousse, he felt calm and collected. He knew he would have to look after himself in the upcoming battle though. These people obviously had no qualms about doing serious harm to their opponents.

Ranma looked up at the sky through the tree branches above him and noticed it was starting to grow cloudy, causing the path he walked to appear darker than before. "Great, I need to finish this before it starts to rain. The last thing I need is to change into a girl while I'm fightin'."

After walking for several more minutes, something ahead of Ranma caught his eye. There were downed trees, and a lot of them. He soon found himself looking at a circular area with nothing but tree stumps. All of the trees that had been there before were now laying on the ground outside of this circle which had a diameter of close to 80 feet.

"How do you like it?"

Ranma remained calm as he looked forward. "I guess ya cleared this space for our fight, huh?"

He watched as two figures walked out from behind a tree on the opposite side of the area. One had white hair and appeared to be a woman, and the other, who appeared to be a male about in his twenties, had long, black hair that was tied into a ponytail and ran down to his elbows. His dark colored cloak covered a black Chinese shirt much like the red one Ranma wore. He also wore a black pair of boots and loose-fitting black pants that had unfamiliar, dark violet designs on them. The most noticeable thing about the man, however, was the large scythe that was strapped to his back.

Ranma snickered a bit as they walked toward him. "Nice fashion statement you're makin' there, pal. You one of those goth kinda guys?"

"What can I say, I like the color black. It hides blood extremely well," the man replied. He apparently wasn't the type to be easily phased by Ranma's sharp tongue.

"So, I take it you're the ones that attacked Shampoo?" Ranma asked.

"Actually, that was Meilin, here," the man replied, "but I suppose it's just the same since I'm with her."

"Okay," Ranma replied, cracking his neck to loosen himself up while trying to keep his cool. "So, why'd you do it? What do you want from us?"

"You want to know?" the man smiled.

"Damn right I do! Now tell me what your problem is!" Ranma snapped.

The man shrugged off Ranma's hotheaded reply and continued to look as if he were enjoying himself. "The woman next to me is Meilin, and my name is Li. We've come here for the sole purpose of challenging you."

"I've never even met you guys before! Why the hell would ya come here to fight me and Shampoo?!"

"Are you not the one who defeated Kirin, leader of the Seven Lucky Gods?" Li asked.

"And Shampoo did defeat Monlon of the Seven Lucky Gods, right?" Meilin asked.

"Seven Lucky Gods..." Ranma said, remembering the time that they'd gone to Nekonron, China to rescue Akane after she was abducted. At that time, he was about to be killed by the guard named Monlon when Shampoo saved him and fought her while he went ahead with Lychee. Then Ranma had fought their leader, Kirin, and won with his Hiryu Shoten Ha attack.

"Yeah, that was us, but what does that have to do with anything?" Ranma asked them.

"Meilin and I were once members of their group," Li said.

"Ohh, I get it. So you came to get revenge for 'em, huh?"

"Not at all," Li replied coldly. He looked far more serious now than he had before.

"We were banished from Seven Luck Mountain many years ago. Meilin and I used to guard the first gate. We were an invincible defense team. Then one day I got into an argument over ideals with the one named Bishamonten. He accused me of being too bloodthirsty and forgetting that my purpose was to serve Kirin, and I drew my scythe against him in anger. Kirin found us arguing and demanded that I leave the mountain for drawing my weapon against another protector. Of course, it was absolutely ridiculous that I would be expected to spend my entire life on that mountain serving that man, and I let him know it."

"Completely stupid," Meilin said in agreement. "After that, silly little Kirin called all of us together and told us about it. He said if any of us agreed with Li's ideals then we should leave too, so I did, and we left and decided to train ourselves well enough to destroy every one of those idiots at Seven Luck Mountain. We spent years in the deepest, darkest parts of China, training and gathering information about the mountain from the people that delivered their food. Then the day before we go to attack the place, we hear that some people had come and defeated them already."

"And I'm guessin' that was us, huh?" Ranma asked, starting to understand the situation a little better.

"That is correct," Li said. "After that, we decided to test ourselves before attacking Seven Luck Mountain. We gathered some information about you from various witnesses, and that information lead us here. That being said, I hope you will give me a suitable challenge, Ranma Saotome."

Ranma removed his hands from his pockets and took up a fighting stance. "Oh, you don't need to worry 'bout that. I gotta admit, you seem really strong, but your methods of challenging people are totally screwed up. And for what you bastards did to Shampoo, I'll give everything I got to make sure you suffer."

Li licked his lips and began smiling again as he admired Ranma's ferocious demeanor. "Meilin, stand aside. I wish to fight him myself."

"Hmm...well, I got to have my fun with his friend, so I suppose you deserve it," Meilin said, hopping out of the cleared area and into a tree.

Li looked back at Ranma and took a stance of his own, not drawing his scythe for the moment. "Come at me whenever you're ready, Ranma Saotome!"

Ranma wasted no time and charged Li in a fit of rage.

* * *

Back in the city, Akane was running as fast as she could toward the location of Ranma's battle.

"That stupid jerk, how could he go and do something so reckless?!" Akane yelled. She wasn't so much angry as she was concerned about her fiancée's safety.

She'd been looking for Ranma earlier because she wanted to take him shopping with her. He wasn't ever her first choice since he complained a lot, but everyone else was busy and shopping by herself was boring. After searching everywhere in the house with no luck, she came upon Genma in the yard.

"Excuse me, Mr. Saotome, do know where Ranma is?" she asked.

"He's on his way to a challenge match at the moment."

"A challenge match? Who'd he get a challenge from?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think it's anyone he's met before. But whoever they are, they might be a bit beyond Ranma's skill," Genma replied quietly.

"Huh? But...Ranma never loses. What makes you think he might be beaten?" Akane asked.

"These people left Shampoo seriously wounded," Genma said. "To be honest, among all of you kids at least, I don't think any of you except for Ranma could beat Shampoo when she fights seriously. She's had such intense training throughout her life that not even Ryouga or Mousse could defeat her if they tried. Yet these people hurt her so badly...I'm not sure I like Ranma's chances."

"Someone hurt Shampoo that bad and you let Ranma go fight them alone?! Why didn't you go with him?! Don't you care at all for the safety of your own son?!" Akane screamed furiously.

"Akane, you need to understand that the Anything-Goes School is all about accepting any challenge presented. Ranma was issued a challenge and it is his duty to accept and deal with it. It has nothing to do with myself or anyone else except for Ranma and, although she's in no condition to fight, Shampoo."

"And what if Ranma ends up paralyzed, or even dead?! Then what?!" Akane screamed, tears starting to form in her eyes. Genma looked down at the ground and didn't say a word.

"You're a fool!" Akane cried.

Genma slowly stood up and handed her the challenge letter Ranma had received the previous day. "You're his fiancée. If you want to make sure he's safe, then go."

Akane read the letter and quickly took off running westward.

Despite the skill of the opponents, Genma was still confident that Ranma would be alright. He knew to run away if the situation became too dangerous. He was, however, extremely upset that these people attacked Shampoo. His head might know to run away, but would his heart ever consider it?

* * *

Ranma charged violently at Li and threw a punch to his face, but Li blocked the blow with his forearm. He then used his other arm and went for a punch to Li's abdomen, but Li used his free arm to block the punch with his open hand. Still on the offensive, Ranma turned his body around and tried a kick to Li's head with his right leg, but Li saw it coming and nimbly jumped back and out of range of the kick.

Trying not to allow Li any time to think, Ranma charged him again and tried to connect with a dozen punches to Li's chest. Li showed impressive defense, however, and blocked them all with his arms. Realizing that he was having difficulty breaking Li's defenses, Ranma took a few leaps backward to contemplate a strategy.

This guy was no amateur, that was for sure. But just blocking those attacks didn't mean he could win. Ranma still had plenty of tricks to use.

"What's the matter, Ranma? You don't seem to be having much fun. Is it because you can't land any of your attacks?" Li taunted him.

"I haven't even warmed up yet, jerk!"

Ranma then ran toward Li and unloaded his Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Li found himself in a barrage of punches moving at incredible speed, and his demeanor turned serious as he had to concentrate greatly to block all of the punches Ranma was throwing at him. Amazingly, Li was managing to stop each of them with open-handed blocks. Ranma was surprised that Li was blocking his punches this well, but he continued the assault. Li's defense reminded him of the time he fought Kirin and had his punches stopped by chopsticks. Of course, if he really was training to fight Kirin, it shouldn't be surprising that his defensive abilities were on par with Kirin's, Ranma thought. Li was doing this with his bare hands though, and balls of water weren't going to help Ranma in this battle.

As he continued punching, Ranma began to notice that Li was showing fatigue. He smirked with confidence when he realized it was only a matter of time before the man in black would wear out. But Li was well aware of it as well, and he knew it was time to change the pace of the fight. With a swift movement, Li batted Ranma's right arm aside and delivered a crushing blow to his face with his other arm.

Ranma was knocked backward and grabbed his face as he hit the ground. He spat out some blood that had accumulated in his mouth before standing himself back up. After wiping the blood from his lips, he ran at Li once more and began another Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken assault, deciding to keep using something that was at least having some effect.

Once Ranma started his attack, Li quickly moved in close and ducked. Ranma barely had time to look down before Li rose up and connected with a devastating uppercut. Ranma let out a cry of pain as he flew into the air.

Seeing another opening, Li jumped into the air and did a forward flip. As he twirled around, his feet smashed into Ranma's chest and sent him crashing to the ground. Ranma was writhing in pain as Li landed a short distance away.

"That temper of yours doesn't seem to be doing your defense any favors, Ranma. I'll admit, those punches were good, but it's pointless if you can't hit me with them. I must say, I'm not too impressed with you thus far."

"No kidding," Meilin chimed in from her perch in the trees. "I'm not sure it was worth coming all the way here to Japan, Li. First the girl can't do anything, and now this."

Ranma slowly began to stand up, but he was in obvious pain. He was panting heavily and was having difficulty staying upright after that last kick. Li, beginning to feel impatient, went on the offensive. As Li moved in close, Ranma threw a punch at his face, but Li easily avoided Ranma's attack and countered with a combo. He kneed Ranma in the gut and drove his elbow into Ranma's back at the same time, knocking the air out of him and sending him to the ground again.

"Pathetic," Li said in a disgusted tone, kicking Ranma in the side.

Ranma was having difficulty catching his breath as he lay on the ground. He couldn't believe how sharp Li's movements were. Ranma wasn't finished yet though. He made his way to his feet once again and took a deep breath before glaring over at his opponent.

"Hey, why don'tcha come try that again, ya goth freak."

"You're asking me to attack you now? As you wish, just don't regret it later."

Li then reached behind his back and removed his scythe, gripping it with both hands and holding it out in front of him. Ranma had planned on trying to lure him into his Hiryu Shoten Ha attack, but he wasn't expecting Li to draw his scythe. It didn't matter, he would just have to dodge the scythe instead of fists now, he figured. It was more difficult, but definitely not impossible. Ranma took up a defensive stance and waited for Li to make his move.

Li raised his scythe, still gripping it with both hands. Ranma got ready for him to charge and swipe at him, but was caught off guard as Li swung his scythe from a distance. A crescent of dark purple energy then seemingly came out from the scythe's blade and flew toward him. Ranma suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to find a large cut in his shirt. He fell to one knee as he saw his own blood dripping into a small puddle on the ground.

"Wha-what the hell just happened?" Ranma asked in a daze.

"You were struck, of course," Li replied with an evil smile. "Couldn't follow it? Here, I'll give you another chance."

Li repeated his attack twice more, sending two crescents toward Ranma. He tried to jump away as quickly as he could, but one caught his leg as he jumped. He landed on the ground as gingerly as he could manage and grabbed the fresh cut in his leg. The crescents of energy were coming at him so quickly that he couldn't follow them at all.

Without a word, Li unleashed two more crescents. Ranma didn't even have time to react. One of them put a cut in his arm and the other grazed his cheek, causing him to cry out in pain as the attacks tore open his skin. He was in serious trouble and was starting to lose focus from the pain. What the hell could he possibly do? Now that Li was using ranged attacks, luring him into the Hiryu Shoten Ha was impossible. Even if Ranma tried to run away, Li could catch up to him easily now that his leg was damaged.

"Ranma, I'm tired of wasting my time here. It's obvious that you're no match for me. This is the end," Li said with irritation in his voice. He gripped his scythe and lunged at Ranma, planning to cut him down with the actual blade this time. He raised the sharp weapon as he neared, completely unhesitant at the thought of ending Ranma's life. Ranma was staring at Li like a deer caught in the headlights, so unsure of himself and frozen with fear that he couldn't move.

Several seconds passed, however, and Ranma noticed that time had seemingly stopped. Li was standing right before him with his scythe raised, but he had a perplexed look on his face.

"Wha-what is this?!" Li yelled.

Ranma had no idea what was going on, but decided not to waste the opportunity. He gathered his remaining strength and used one final Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Blow after blow struck without fail this time. Li's abdomen, chest, and face were all assaulted with Ranma's fists. After close to a hundred punches, Ranma reached back and dealt Li one final blow to the face. Li flew roughly 20 feet before landing hard on the ground.

"Li!" Meilin yelled out, absolutely shocked at what she'd just seen.

Ranma fell to his knees and was panting heavily when he spotted what looked like a shadow creeping along the ground away from Li. As he watched the shadow move toward the outside of the battle area, Ranma saw someone standing there.

"That what...you get..." Shampoo smiled, looking extremely exhausted. Her legs were shaking and her hands were folded up in a strange position as she collapsed to her knees, unable to stand any longer.

"Shampoo! Shampoo, are you alright?! What just happened?!" Ranma yelled, dragging his beaten body over to her.

"Shampoo...use Shadow Bind on that man. He no could move...because Shampoo catch his shadow," she said, still trying to catch her breath.

"Shadow Bind? Where the heck did ya learn somethin' like that?"

"Father...teach Shampoo that one..."

"Wow...well, I owe ya one. But jeez, look at you. We need to get you back to Dr. Tofu's," Ranma said.

"Ranma look bad too," Shampoo replied, managing a slight giggle.

"You think I'll let you go?" Meilin interrupted as she knelt next to Li. "I should've just killed you off yesterday. I'll make sure I finish the job this time."

Ranma and Shampoo were both shocked as Li suddenly stood up and leered at them. His face was battered and bloody and his shirt was torn in several places. But rather than getting upset, Li simply smiled and licked the blood from around his lips.

"Hey, you alright?" Meilin asked him.

"Never better," Li said. "I'd forgotten what pain felt like. That was a very clever technique, little girl, and those punches weren't bad considering your current physical state, Ranma. Although, if it hadn't been for your friend there, you would be dead by now."

Ranma didn't know what to say. Li was right. Ranma never landed a single punch on his own. His pride was hurting, but he was more concerned about he and Shampoo's lives at the moment.

"Still, it's so rare for anyone to cause me pain, it would be a shame to just kill you," Li said as he picked up his scythe and turned to them again. "Tell me, Ranma, if I were to allow you sufficient time to prepare, would you be able to give me a decent challenge?"

Ranma was puzzled at the question, but had no doubt about the answer. "Of course, I'd train my ass off to beat you. It's my duty as a member of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."

For whatever reason, Li began laughing joyously. "Meilin, let's take them home with us."

Meilin looked surprised look for a moment, but then seemed to agree and walked over next to Li. He then folded his hands together and closed his eyes, having a look of intense concentration.

Ranma and Shampoo looked on curiously as they wondered what he was up to.

* * *

"Dammit, where the hell am I now?!"

A confused and impatient Ryouga Hibiki was stomping through a wooded area, holding his umbrella in one hand to shield him from the impending rain, when he spotted a girl running in front of him.

"Hey, that looked like Akane..."

As Ryouga started running after her, he realized that it really was Akane.

"Akane! Hey, Akane, wait!"

Despite Ryouga's calls, Akane continued running as fast as she could in front of him.

"Why won't she stop?!" Ryouga wondered to himself as he continued chasing after her.

A couple seconds later, the two of them saw a brilliant blue light a little ways ahead. Feeling nervous about what it could be, Akane began to run toward it. As she got closer, Akane could see several figures within the light.

"That looks like Ranma," she said to herself, now able to make him out among the figures. She could also see Shampoo and two people she didn't recognize.

Suddenly, the person in the middle of the light let out a loud cry, which was followed by a blinding flash. Akane and Ryouga had no choice but to cover their eyes as the light enveloped the area.

"RANMA!" Akane yelled out.

But then, almost instantly, the light was gone. As Akane's eyes began to adjust, she was left speechless at what she saw. The area where Ranma and the others had been was empty. A light rain now began to pour down on the forest as Akane ran over to where everyone had been. There was nothing but ground and tree stumps around her.

Ryouga ran up to her and positioned his umbrella over the both of them. He couldn't believe what he thought he'd just seen. "Akane...Ranma and Shampoo...they just...vanished. What...what just happened here?"

"Ran...ma..." Akane spoke almost inaudibly. The rain continued to fall upon them as they tried to cope with the fact that Ranma and Shampoo had just disappeared right before their very eyes.

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**


	5. Where Are We?

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**

Although they weren't doing deliveries for the day due to Shampoo's absence, business at the Cat Café was going smoothly. In order to keep Mousse from running off to Dr. Tofu's clinic, Cologne told him that she'd sent Shampoo on an errand and that she'd be back in a couple of days. It was a blatant lie, but it was for the best, she figured.

Customers didn't normally make a noisy entrance, so when the restaurant door suddenly swung open, Cologne nearly dropped the food she was preparing. When she turned around, she saw a soaking wet Akane running frantically toward her.

"Goodness, child, what's the fuss?"

"Ranma and Shampoo, they...they just...disappeared!" Akane said, looking very distraught.

"What?!" Mousse yelled, running up and grabbing hold of Cologne. "What happened to my Shampoo?!"

Cologne wasted no time driving Mousse to the floor with a swift whack from her cane. "Put your glasses on, you idiot! Now then, what do you mean they disappeared?"

"I...I ran to where Ranma was fighting because I wanted to make sure he was alright, and then when I got there I saw him and Shampoo and some other people, a-and this guy yelled really loud, and there was this big flash of light, and then they were all gone!"

Cologne seemed perplexed as she tried to piece all of this together. "Shampoo is supposed to be at Dr. Tofu's clinic...but I suppose it's possible she would go help the son-in-law, despite my telling her otherwise. More importantly, are you certain that you saw exactly what you just described to me?"

"Y-yes, I'm positive," Akane replied.

Things were beginning to make sense to the Amazon elder now. Assuming these people were really the pair that her great-granddaughter thought they were, the technique Akane saw them use was probably the reason they always managed to evade authorities in China.

Cologne took a drag from her pipe as she thought back to something she'd once read. "I have heard of a technique like this, crazy as it may sound. It was developed many, many years ago by some peculiar people in a very secluded part of China. If I'm not mistaken, I believe they simply called it the Shift technique."

"W-what's it do?" Akane asked.

"Something about creating a beacon of sorts with one's own ki energy and being able to return to that point from anywhere by creating a bond between yourself and the power of the very earth you stand on. Simply put, I suppose you could call it a teleportation technique. But this is something that I read about in a book that was centuries old. It's very hard for me to believe someone would still be able to use it."

"Well, where did they take Ranma then?!"

"We really have no way of knowing that without knowing their intentions. For all we know they could be on the other side of the world right now," Cologne told her.

Beginning to feel an overwhelming despair, Akane dropped to her knees. "No...what...what are we supposed to do?"

"There is nothing we can do but wait for some kind of message from them. I'll let you know if I hear anything, but for now you should probably let Ranma's father know about all of this."

Cologne looked toward the door as an exhausted Ryouga appeared holding his umbrella. "Akane, there you are! What's going on?!"

Stunned and horribly depressed, Akane stood up and ran out of the restaurant. Her mind was so distant that she didn't even notice Ryouga as she passed him.

"Hey, Akane, what's wrong?! Wait for me!" Ryouga yelled as he went after her.

While the customers who'd been watching the exchange went back to eating their meals, Cologne rubbed her forehead and reluctantly went back to her cooking. This wasn't a good situation, but it was far from hopeless, she thought. Shampoo and Ranma were two of the most promising young fighters she'd seen. If they were together, they would surely be fine...wouldn't they?

* * *

The warmth of the sun.

The cool breeze.

The sound of grass rustling in the wind.

All of these could be felt or heard by Ranma as he began to stir. It sure was a nice day out, he thought. But wasn't it about to rain earlier?

When he opened his eyes he found himself blinded by the glare from the sun and instinctively raised his arm to shield himself. It was then he noticed his arm was covered in a dark red substance. After a bit of digging into his exhausted mind, he began to remember what transpired.

"B-blood?"

Bit by bit, a scene began to appear in his mind. He saw a large figure looming over him, looking as if it were ready to strike him down. He looked up at the figure and waited, but everything after that was a blur.

Ranma felt a sharp pain in his chest and slowly sat himself up. He placed his hand over the cut in his shirt, wincing his eyes as he felt the sharp pain again.

"Li," he said softly. "I was fightin' with that Li guy and he almost killed me, and then there was that big flash. Am I dead or somethin'?"

Ranma started to look around at his surroundings. There was a mountainous terrain with grass and hills, but no trees anywhere in sight. As he repositioned himself to look at the area behind him, he felt something warm and soft under his right hand.

"Mmm..."

When he looked down to see what made the sound, Ranma saw Shampoo laying next to him. And the warm, soft feeling in his hand, he realized, was one of her well developed breasts.

"Woah! Sorry, I didn't mean to...!"

Ranma stopped panicking as he realized Shampoo was still asleep. He quickly looked to his left and then to his right to see if anyone had seen him.

"Okay, no one saw that and it never happened," he muttered to himself. "That's right, I remember now. Li said he was takin' us home or somethin' like that, and now me and Shampoo are both here. But where the heck is this place?"

Ranma slowly stood up, trying to ignore the pain in his legs. He looked around once more and tried to think of where he was.

"Man, serious deja vu. I know I've seen this place before..."

Try as he might, Ranma couldn't remember where he'd seen this area. Standing around thinking about it wouldn't do him any good, he figured. He just needed to find someone that could tell him where he was.

He slowly walked over to Shampoo and lifted her up in his arms. Noticing what looked to be a path to his right, Ranma began walking and looked down at Shampoo's peacefully sleeping face. She really was something else. She'd saved his life when they went to Nekonron, and now this. It kind of made Ranma feel like a jerk when he thought about how he'd been avoiding her ever since they'd met. He'd have to make it up to her one of these days, he figured.

* * *

After close to an hour of walking, Ranma was beginning to tire. His wounds were causing him a constant flow of pain, his arms were sore from carrying the still sleeping Shampoo, and to top it all off it was extremely warm outside.

"That damn Li bastard," he muttered. "He could've at least let us know where the hell he was takin' us. Damn, I need to find somewhere to rest soon or I'm gonna pass out."

Ranma started looking around for a tree or anything he could use to get out of the heat for a while. He didn't spot anything at first, but after a few more minutes he noticed something a ways ahead of him.

"Hey, looks like a village or somethin'. Maybe they'll let me rest there for a while."

Once Ranma reached the village, the residents immediately began staring at him, and he couldn't help but notice that all of them seemed to be female. Somehow this all seemed vaguely familiar to him. Then he noticed something that gave his memory a little nudge. In the middle of the village was a large log that was suspended horizontally.

"I remember that thing...I fought Shampoo on it back when me and Pop were travelin' through China..."

Ranma turned and again looked at a group of women who were staring at him. They were all wearing Chinese clothing.

Ranma's jaw nearly hit the ground. "You gotta be kiddin' me! That Li jerk brought me and Shampoo to China?!"

As he continued to express his shock, one of the villagers who'd come to see what was going on happened to recognize the girl in Ranma's arms.

"_My lil' Shampie!_" the girl cried out in Mandarin.

Ranma quickly gathered himself as the girl ran over to him. She was wearing a white, Chinese dress that looked like something Shampoo might have worn and had long brown hair that ran down to her knees.

"Umm...sorry, I couldn't understand ya. D'you know Shampoo?" Ranma asked her.

"You're Japanese?!" Aroma asked in Japanese.

Ranma wasn't sure who this was, but he was glad at least someone could understand him. "Err...yeah. So, you know Shampoo?"

"I'm her big sister, Aroma! What did you do to my lil' Shampie?!" she asked suspiciously.

Ranma snickered a bit at the nickname. "It's fine, Sh-Shampie's just sleepin'."

Aroma stood up and leered at him. "Nobody makes fun of what I call my little sister, got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am..." Ranma replied nervously. This woman was downright frightening when she got angry.

"Now then, who are you?" Aroma asked him.

"R-Ranma..."

Aroma's mood brightened up immediately at the mention of his name. "Oh! You're Ranma! I've heard so much about you from Granny! Did you come here to get married then, Mr. Husband?"

"No, I didn't! Look, it's a long story, you mind if we rest somewhere?"

Aroma then noticed the wounds all over Ranma's body. "Oh my, I'm sorry! I didn't see you were hurt. Lucky for you, I happen to be a doctor. Just follow me and you can rest at our place for a while."

"Thanks a bunch," Ranma said. He could worry about Li later. Suddenly finding himself in China was quite a shock and right now all he wanted to do was relax for a while.

* * *

After leaving Shampoo in her old bedroom, Ranma followed Aroma down to the bathing area of their home.

"This place is a little more...normal than I woulda thought," Ranma said as he looked around at the interior of the house.

"Well it's not like we're primitives here. We just live away from the rest of society," Aroma replied, pulling up a stool for Ranma to sit on. "Now take off your clothes and have a seat, please."

Ranma gave her a funny look. "Umm...do I really need to take my clothes off?"

"I see cuts all over your body, Ranma. It's much easier for me to treat them all if you just strip down. You can leave your boxers on, or you can remove those too if you like..."

"I think I'll leave 'em on, thanks."

"Oh, phooey..." Aroma pouted.

Ranma flinched as Aroma washed and then sprayed disinfectant on the large cut in his chest. "You seem a little less restrained than everyone else in this village."

"That's to be expected," Aroma smiled. "Most people here don't leave the village very often, but I'm different. I always enjoyed treating people's injuries more than fighting. Eventually Granny sent me off to other countries to expand my medical knowledge, and I became a doctor. Being well traveled, I guess I'm more comfortable with outsiders than the rest of them."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at her. "By Granny you mean...Cologne?"

Aroma nodded. "That's right. She's been looking after me and Shampie all our lives."

Ranma laughed as he thought about how different she and Shampoo were. "It's tough to believe you and Shampoo are sisters. You seem a lot different. Actually, Shampoo never even told me she had a sister..."

A cry of pain suddenly echoed throughout the house as Aroma pushed down on Ranma's wound.

"We've...always been a little distant," Aroma said, sulking. "Still, Shampie could at least acknowledge that I exist!"

"Oww! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop already!"

Aroma calmed herself down and continued to work on Ranma's cuts. "So, Ranma, seeing as how this is going to take a while, why don't you tell me what you and Shampie are doing in China all of a sudden?"

"Oh, yeah, sure..."

Ranma told Aroma about everything that happened in the last two days, from Shampoo being attacked by Meilin, to his fight with Li, and then to waking up earlier and realizing he was in China.

Aroma was intrigued by the tale, to say the least. "That's quite a story. Two exiles from Seven Luck Mountain heard that you were strong and came looking for you and Shampie to test themselves. Awfully selfish pair, aren't they? Disrupting people's lives like that just so they can indulge in their own desires."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Ranma agreed.

"So, what now?"

Ranma began scratching his head. "I dunno really. That jerk just brought us here and didn't tell us nothin'."

"They'll probably come looking for you at some point, you know," Aroma said.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have to start trainin' myself for the next fight real soon."

"Just don't push yourself too hard. You need to let these wounds heal first."

Aroma sprayed disinfectant on one last cut and clasped her hands together. "All finished! I washed all around those cuts, but the rest of your body's still covered in sweat and dirt. Go ahead and take a bath so long as you're in here. I'll bandage you up after you're done."

Ranma leaned down and sniffed his arms. "Guess a bath couldn't hurt. Oh, 'bout my clothes..."

"I'll clean and sew them up for you later. In the meantime, we'll see if we can't find something else around here for you to wear."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Hey, anything for my little sister's future husband," Aroma smiled as she walked out and closed the bathroom door behind her.

"Again with the husband stuff..." Ranma grumbled.

As Ranma began to draw the bath water, he looked down at the large cut in his chest and angrily clenched his fists. "I'm gonna get Li back for all this..."

* * *

Aroma was sitting at a table waiting for Ranma to finish his bath when she heard the bedroom door swing open.

Shampoo looked extremely confused as she stared at Aroma from the doorway. "Big sister?"

Aroma happily jumped up from her chair and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Shampie, you're awake! Ohh, I missed you so much, Shampie!"

"Name no is Shampie! How many time tell you no call Shampoo that?!" Shampoo yelled.

"Ohh, you're always so mean to me. By the way, you're home if you haven't already noticed."

"Shampoo see that already! How Shampoo get here?!"

Aroma sat back down and tried to explain the situation. "Well, I guess some guy named Li used some weird technique to bring you to China, and then Ranma found you and carried you here and you've been asleep ever since. Something like that..."

"Ranma?! Where Ranma at?!" Shampoo asked frantically, remembering how bad of shape Ranma was in after his fight with Li.

"Calm down, he's taking a bath right now. Don't worry, I took care of all his wou-"

Shampoo didn't bother waiting for her sister to finish. She immediately ran over to the bathroom door and swung it open.

A startled Ranma covered up his private parts with a towel as he stared up at her. "Umm...Shampoo...?"

Shampoo's eyes started to tear up when she saw that Ranma was alive and well. She didn't think twice before kneeling down and wrapping him in a hug.

"Shampoo so happy Ranma okay!"

Ranma was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as Shampoo hugged him from outside the bathtub. "Y-yeah, I'm really glad you're okay too, Shampoo, but could this wait? I'm kinda naked right now..."

Shampoo eyed Ranma's body and started to blush. "Shampoo dirty too. Shampoo join Ranma in bath, yes?"

"Are you nuts?! Akane would kill me!" Ranma said, fearing for his life.

"Akane no is here," Shampoo smiled.

Ranma hadn't even realized that yet. She was right, this was China, not Japan. Akane wasn't here...nobody was.

"Okay, maybe not, but we're just friends, right?" Ranma asked.

"Friends take bath together too..."

"Yeah, when they're little kids, not teenagers!"

Shampoo giggled as she started to rub her chest against Ranma's shoulder. "Ranma no want to see Shampoo body?"

Ranma felt like he was about to die from embarrassment. "No, it ain't like that, I just...!"

Shampoo burst out laughing as Ranma continued to wriggle uncomfortably. "Silly Ranma, Shampoo just joke is all. Ranma so much fun to tease."

"Gimme a break, will ya?" Ranma groaned.

Aroma couldn't help but giggle a little at the fun Shampoo was having. "Alright, that's enough, you two. Let's let Ranma finish his bath, Shampie."

Shampoo glared up at her sister. "You stop calling Shampoo that!"

"Scary!" Aroma giggled. "Why don't you go find Ranma something to wear while his clothes are being fixed up?"

Shampoo perked up at the suggestion. She had to admit, she did like the thought of Ranma wearing something she'd picked out for him. It was something you'd see any good wife do for her husband, after all.

"Okay, Shampoo go!"

Aroma looked down at Ranma as Shampoo rushed out of the bathroom. "Sorry about that, Ranma. Shampie's a very passionate girl."

"Ya think?" Ranma said sarcastically.

Aroma had a sinister look on her face as she started to undo the top of her dress. "Maybe you'd like to take a bath with me instead? Hmm?"

Ranma continued to blush as he sank down into the bath water. "Now, look...!"

Aroma began laughing and stuck her tongue out at him. "Shampie's right, you are fun to tease. Now hurry up and finish so I can bandage those cuts up."

Once the door closed again, Ranma laid back in the tub and let out a long sigh. He took it all back, Shampoo and Aroma were exactly alike. Staying with these two was going to be an adventure, no doubt about it.

* * *

After Ranma finished his bath and dried himself off, Aroma bandaged him to the point that he felt like a mummy.

"Jeez, I got beat up more than I thought..."

"You'll have to try moving a little faster next time, then maybe you won't get all cut up," Aroma teased.

Ranma felt a little depressed as he remembered how fast those energy crescents had come at him. "Yeah, I know..."

"Here go, Ranma! Shampoo find you clothes," Shampoo said as she ran into the room. The clothes she brought were almost identical to the Chinese shirt and pants he usually wore, only they were both white.

"White, huh?"

"Ranma no like? Shampoo think Ranma look good in white."

Ranma slipped the pants on and began fastening the shirt. "Nah, I kinda like white too."

"Aiyaa! Shampoo happy Ranma like!"

Ranma tried a few kicks and punches to get used to his new attire. "Yup, these should do just fine."

"Looking good, Ranma. Who would've thought Daddy's clothes would fit you so well?" Aroma said.

Ranma looked down at his outfit again. "Oh, these are your dad's clothes?"

"Shampoo sure Father no mind. He no use for very long time," Shampoo said.

"Well, if you say so. I'm only borrowin' 'em anyway," Ranma replied.

Aroma nodded in agreement. "I'm glad we got that taken care of. So, what will you do now, Ranma?"

Ranma seemed unsure as he looked over at Shampoo. "I guess that kinda depends on whether we hear anythin' else from Li and Meilin."

"That's true," Aroma said. "Well, in any case, you're free to stay here as long as you like. For tonight though, I think the two of you should just get a good night's sleep. You can plan your next move in the morning."

Ranma and Shampoo couldn't agree more. After everything that'd happened, they were both mentally and physically exhausted. A nice, long sleep sounded like pure bliss.

Ranma blushed as his stomach made a loud growling noise all of a sudden.

"Oh, that's right. You guys probably haven't eaten much today, have you?" Aroma asked.

Ranma planted his face in the table as his stomach growled again. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning..."

"Well then, I'd better go whip you up some food, huh?" Aroma laughed.

"Shampoo help too!" she said excitedly.

Aroma happily wrapped her arms around her little sister again. "Yay! I can't remember the last time I got to cook a meal with my lil' Shampie!"

"You no call Shampoo that!"

Aroma playfully stuck her tongue out at Shampoo. "Sorry, sorry. Don't you worry, Ranma, we'll cook up something delicious."

"Great, lookin' forward to it..." Ranma said nervously. These Amazon sisters had a really...weird relationship.

* * *

Once nightfall came, Ranma and Shampoo were both plenty ready to get some sleep. Despite Shampoo offering to share her bed with Ranma, he opted to sleep in one of the beds that Aroma occasionally let her patients use. Never one to let a good opportunity go to waste, Shampoo decided to stay in the bed next to Ranma for the night. So long as they weren't sharing the same bed, Ranma didn't mind it so much.

Later that night after they'd all fallen asleep, Shampoo awoke and looked around the room to find that Ranma's bed was empty. Curious about where he'd wandered off to, Shampoo searched the house for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Remembering something from a few nights ago, Shampoo walked outside in her nightgown. There was a full moon out which illuminated the entire village. It was one of the sights Shampoo had missed while she was in Japan.

"Is pretty," Shampoo said as she looked at the dazzling sight. She then hopped up to the roof of she and Aroma's home.

Ranma lifted his head and looked up at her. "Oh, hey, Shampoo. What brings you up here?"

"Shampoo ask Ranma same thing," she said as she sat down next to him.

Ranma leaned back and looked up at the sky again. "I thought it'd be easy to sleep, but it ain't. Thought I'd come up here and just think for a while."

"What Ranma think about?" Shampoo asked.

"Just how crazy everything's been. First I find you a bloody mess, then I get blown away in a fight, and now I'm in China."

Shampoo smiled as she looked down at him. "Is no usual day in Japan."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Ranma sighed. "I dunno what's gonna happen from now on, but you and me need to get ready to fight those two creeps again."

"Shampoo...no can do much, but try to help Ranma train as much as can," she said, placing her hand on the wound in her side.

Ranma sat up and looked over at her. "Hey, don't you worry about me, I'll figure out a way to beat Li. You just need to let that wound heal and get ready to fight Meilin again."

Shampoo disregarded Ranma's concern as she thought about the white-haired woman. "Meilin only win because she catch Shampoo off guard. That no happen again."

"Yeah, I think you can definitely beat her," Ranma agreed.

Shampoo nodded and looked up at the sky again. "Ranma, you think everyone in Japan worry about us?"

Ranma just shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. Even if they are, I'd rather not let 'em all know what's goin' on. If they find out we're gonna be here a while, some of 'em are probably gonna come get involved in our fights. I mean, if Mousse hears you're gonna be fightin' someone that tried to kill ya before, d'ya think he's just gonna sit back in Japan and wait for ya?"

"No, stupid Mousse come get in way," Shampoo replied with irritation. Mousse was the last person she wanted to think about at the moment.

"Exactly, so I think we should just let 'em worry about us for now."

"Ranma probably right," Shampoo said.

"Hey, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Ranma ask Shampoo anything," she smiled.

"Why didn't you ever use that Shadow Bind trick before?"

Shampoo giggled a little. "Because is no good in one-on-one fight. When catch person's shadow, Shampoo no can move either."

"Ohh, I get it. But still, there were other times you coulda used it, right?" Ranma asked her.

Shampoo let out an evil cackle. "Could, but is good if others no know all Shampoo's tricks."

"Sneaky as ever," Ranma laughed. "Hey, how'd you know I was up here, anyway?"

"Because Ranma do this just few night ago," Shampoo said.

Ranma remembered that night when he and Shampoo talked on the roof of the Tendo home. "Oh, that's right. Seems like it was more than just a few days ago, doesn't it?"

"Shampoo always try remember things Ranma like."

"Oh yeah?"

Shampoo nodded. "Let see, Ranma like pork bun, manga, beat up Ryouga, and sit on roof."

"Hey, don't make me sound so simple..." Ranma laughed.

Even if only for a few moments, Ranma was glad he and Shampoo could laugh away their worries.

* * *

That day in Japan, Akane couldn't find the will to do anything. With P-chan soundly asleep in her lap, she looked up at the full moon from her bedroom window. A single tear ran down her cheek as she thought about her missing fiancée.

"Ranma, you'd better come back to me, you stupid jerk..."

Akane didn't sleep a wink that night. Things just didn't feel right without Ranma around.

* * *

**End of Chapter 5**


	6. Challenge

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 6  
**

"Mmm...huh?"

When Ranma opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a thick mist. He tried to look around, but found it was impossible to see anything through the mist.

"Where the heck is this?" he asked.

Ranma tensed up as he began to hear the sound of laughter. Along with the laughter, a figure began to take shape in the mist before him. As the mist slowly began to disperse, Ranma found himself staring into the eyes of Li.

"Li! I'll get you this time, you jerk!" Ranma snarled.

He took a swing at Li, but his punch went right through without touching him. "Wh-what the hell?"

Li's laughter became wild as he swiped his scythe, sending a barrage of dark purple crescents at Ranma. "What's the matter, Ranma Saotome?! Can't you hit me?!"

Ranma cried out as the crescents tore into his body and he slammed into the ground. He had a terrified look in his eyes as a pool of blood began to accumulate under him. More and more the blood continued to increase until it seemed to cover everything in his sight.

Ranma could no longer move, and he began to sink in the pool of blood. He could now see three figures resembling Li standing over him.

"You are nothing, Ranma!! You can't even scratch me!" they said simultaneously.

Ranma's entire field of vision became a dark red as the figures raised their scythes, laughing maniacally as they readied to cut him down.

"Ranma? Ranma, is time wake up..."

Shampoo was startled as Ranma suddenly shot up from his pillow, eyes wide open and breathing very heavily.

"Ranma, what matter?!" Shampoo asked, looking at the pigtailed boy with concern.

Ranma had a surprised look on his face as he peered over at the Amazon girl. "It was...a dream? Oh, man..."

Shampoo began to gently rub Ranma's forehead to calm him down. "Ranma have bad dream?"

"Yeah, kinda," Ranma said.

"Aiyaa, that no fun. Ranma should dream about Shampoo next time," she said playfully.

"Yeah, whatever," Ranma muttered.

Shampoo removed her hand from his forehead and stuck her tongue out at him. "That no nice. Aroma and Shampoo make too too delicious breakfast, so Ranma get dressed and come eat."

The thought of food made Ranma feel much more inclined to get out of bed. "Alright, alright, just gimme a minute."

Once Shampoo left, Ranma wiped the sweat from his brow and stared down at his fist. It was only a dream, of course, but he knew he needed to be faster if he was going to defeat Li.

* * *

Eating breakfast had allowed Ranma to push his nightmare to the back of his mind, at least for the moment. He already knew Shampoo was a stellar cook, but Aroma apparently had a talent for it as well.

"Man, this is good," he said with a mouth full of food. "Hey, Shampoo, why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?"

Shampoo gave Aroma a nasty look. "Shampoo no like talk about some things..."

"That's so mean!" Aroma pouted. "I can't believe my lil' Shampie doesn't want to talk about me!"

"My name Shampoo, no Shampie!!" she yelled, once again aggravated at the mention of her sister's pet name for her. "And you wonder why Shampoo no like talk about you."

After observing Shampoo's outbursts over the last couple of days, Ranma had made a mental note to never, ever call her by the name Shampie.

Aroma had a playful grin on her face as she peered over at her sister. "You know, if you keep treating me like that, I might be inclined to tell Ranma here some embarrassing stories about you..."

Shampoo folded her arms and looked away, completely indifferent about her older sister's threat. "Shampoo no care what you say!"

"Really?" Aroma snickered. "Then maybe I should tell him about that one time. You know, from back when you were ten years old and we had those visitors?"

Shampoo's face went flush with embarrassment as Ranma looked back and forth between the sisters. The priceless look on Shampoo's face had him feeling incredibly curious about this. "So, um, what happened?"

"Oh, you'll just love this," Aroma laughed. "So this group from a male Amazon village came to visit, right? And Shampie here c-"

Shampoo quickly jumped out of her chair and put her sister in a choke hold, desperately trying to keep her from spouting off any more of the story. "You no dare tell Ranma that!"

Aroma frantically tapped on Shampoo's arm once she'd sunk the choke hold in. "Okay! I give up already! Let go!"

"You promise no tell Ranma about that?" Shampoo asked, tightening the choke even more.

Aroma nodded her head without hesitation while clutching at her throat, and Shampoo reluctantly let go. While Aroma was gasping for air, Ranma made another mental note to never, ever tell embarrassing stories about Shampoo in front of her, lest he be choked to death. He really wanted to know more about this story after seeing Shampoo's reaction, but he wasn't about to bring it up again after that.

Once the three of them finished breakfast, Ranma felt it was a good time to start preparing for the upcoming battle. "Hey, this village has an armory or somethin', doesn't it? I could use a few things to help me train."

Shampoo nodded. "Yes, there many buildings for that here. Shampoo need weapons too, now that Ranma mention."

"Good, let's go take a look around then," Ranma said.

The three of them all looked toward the door when they heard someone knocking all of a sudden.

Aroma then got up from her seat and began walking toward the door. "Wonder who that could be. One of my regular patients, maybe..."

When she opened the door, Aroma saw a man with a long, dark blue robe, very much like what male Amazons in the vicinity wore. But this person was wearing an unusual white mask with unfamiliar symbols and had dark hair that flowed down past their shoulders.

"_Good morning,_" the man said in Mandarin. "_I'm looking for two people named Ranma Saotome and Shampoo. Have you seen them?_"

Aroma gave the man a somewhat suspicious look. "_Why, yes, they're staying here. And who might you be?_"

"_Someone with a message for them,_" the man replied.

"_I see, and this message is...?_" Aroma asked.

"_I really should tell them myself,_" he said.

Aroma folded her arms and leaned up against the door frame. "_Do you plan on hurting them?_"

The man chuckled a little at the question. "_I would never be forgiven for doing such a thing._"

Aroma didn't like this guy at all, but he did seem earnest in saying he wouldn't harm Ranma and Shampoo. "_Fine then, follow me._"

Ranma and Shampoo gave the man funny looks as he followed Aroma inside.

"Who's the masked weirdo?" Ranma asked.

"He's apparently somebody with a message for you," Aroma said, keeping a close eye on him.

The man walked up to Ranma and began to look him over. "_So, you must be the one Li wishes to fight..._"

"What'd he say?" Ranma asked, turning to Shampoo for a translation.

"I suppose you only understand Japanese," the man said, now speaking Japanese. "My name is Jynn. I've brought you a message from Li and Meilin."

Ranma jumped out of his seat and angrily stared Jynn down. "So, you're workin' for those two, huh?! You come here to take us out before we fight 'em?!"

"As I told this woman, they would never forgive me for doing such a thing," Jynn replied calmly. "They want to fight the two of you at your very best, you should have figured that out by now. I mean, that was the reason they brought you two to China, wasn't it?"

Shampoo put her hand on Ranma's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "That right. What you want tell us then?"

"I'm here to give you the details about your upcoming battles, of course," Jynn said. "In one month's time, you two are to take place in individual fights. Shampoo will fight with Meilin, and you, Ranma, will fight with Li. Until then, I'm here to ensure that you keep up with your training so that you two will be at your very best come time for the battles."

"Whoa, hold on, did you say a month?! Why so damn long?!" Ranma asked.

Jynn folded his arms as he stared down at Ranma. "My understanding is that your skills were insufficient in your previous fights. Li and Meilin wish to give you both ample time to prepare yourselves. It's not so difficult an idea to understand, is it?"

Ranma was silent for a moment as he started contemplating all of this.

"So we no can leave China for month?" Shampoo asked.

"I wouldn't recommend running back to Japan, if that's what you mean," Jynn said. "I imagine those two would be quite upset about it after going through all the trouble of bringing you here. They might take it out on not only you, but your friends as well."

Ranma stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "I ain't gonna run away, pal."

"Shampoo no leave either. No until get revenge on coward girl," Shampoo added.

Jynn let out a relieved sigh. "That's good to hear. It makes my job so much easier. I'd hate to have them get upset with me."

"Yeah, I bet. You sure are a wuss, ain't ya? Probably just kiss up to 'em and do whatever they tell ya to do..." Ranma said.

Jynn seemed annoyed by the insult, to say the least. "Hey now-"

"Forget it, I don't care," Ranma interrupted. "So where are we fightin' 'em at?"

Jynn was starting to get annoyed with Ranma's attitude, but tried to stay on topic despite it. "You needn't worry about that. Once a month has passed, I'll be taking you there using the Shift technique that Li taught me."

Aroma looked at Jynn curiously, familiar with the technique's name. "Shift? If I remember correctly, that's..."

"A teleportation technique," Jynn finished.

"Then is technique he use to bring Ranma and Shampoo to China?" Shampoo asked.

"Oh, that!" Ranma said. "How the heck's that even possible, Jynn?!"

"Sorry, but it's a secret technique, and one that could be easily abused by someone with a lack of discipline. I can't simply give the secret away to you," Jynn replied.

Aroma, Shampoo, and Ranma all gave Jynn a nasty look at the response.

"What? I'm sorry, but that's the way it is," Jynn said nervously.

"You hang out with people like Li and Meilin, and you're tellin' me you're disciplined?" Ranma muttered.

The robed man simply shrugged in response.

"Fine," Ranma snorted. "So basically we've got a month to do whatever..."

The lavender-haired Amazon had mixed feelings about this as she looked over at Ranma. This wasn't a vacation by any stretch of the imagination, but Shampoo was going to have him to herself for the next month. Still though, this had to be a situation that was much more comfortable for her than it was for him. In her case, all she cared about was having Ranma with her. But Ranma had been taken away from all of his family and friends, and Jynn had told him flat out that they could be targeted if Ranma went back to Japan before he fought Li. All things considered though, Ranma was doing a good job of maintaining his composure. Shampoo expected nothing less from the man she wanted so desperately to marry one day.

"How long would it take to get to Nekonron from here?" Ranma suddenly asked.

"Nekonron?" Shampoo asked, looking over at her sister. "It take maybe ten days, yes?"

"Mmm...that sounds about right," Aroma replied.

"Ten days, huh?" Ranma said.

Shampoo could see that Ranma was trying to formulate a plan. "Ranma want go to Nekonron?"

"Yeah, I was thinkin' we could ask Kirin about Li and Meilin. He might know somethin' useful," Ranma said. "That alright with you, Shampoo?"

Shampoo smiled as she considered the plan. "Is no bad idea. We maybe learn important things about those two. Shampoo think is good way use time."

"Oh, phooey, and here I was looking forward to having company for a while," Aroma pouted. "Oh well, I'll wrangle up some sleeping bags and such for your trip."

"Really? Wow, thanks, Aroma," Ranma said.

"We're going to Nekonron, are we? How interesting," Jynn said.

Shampoo had a disgusted look on her face as she looked up at Jynn. "Shampoo no remember inviting stupid masked boy to come."

Jynn began scratching his head. "Didn't I tell you? I'm supposed to make sure you're training properly. Obviously I'll have to be with you at all times."

"Yeah, so you can tell your buddies everything we're plannin' to fight 'em with, right?" Ranma asked venomously.

"Don't misunderstand them, Ranma," Jynn replied. "They enjoy the element of surprise in battle. If I told them everything about you, it wouldn't be as fun for them. That goes double for Li, by the way."

Ranma just shrugged off the reply. "Yeah, whatever. What are you anyway, some kinda magician? You look like a freak."

"Actually I do know some tricks," Jynn said, seemingly uplifted at the opportunity. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure, go for it," Ranma said, still looking annoyed as he rested his chin on his hand. If nothing else, he could make fun of Jynn for screwing up a trick, he figured.

"Well then, watch carefully," Jynn said, sticking the sleeve of his robe out at Ranma. "Nothing in my sleeve, right? Or so you'd think..."

Shampoo and Aroma backed away as a blast of water shot out from Jynn's sleeve and soaked Ranma.

"How was that? Wasn't it ama...zing...?" Jynn asked. He'd been enjoying himself until he noticed the change in Ranma's form. "You...seem different..."

Shampoo put her hand over her mouth as she looked at the robed man. "Aiyaa, you no should have done that, Jynn..."

A drenched Ranma, now in girl form, was chuckling to herself while she struggled to keep her anger in check. "Y'know, right now I'd really like to take that mask of yours and shove it up your-"

"Oh, I totally forgot that you had a Jusenkyo curse!" Aroma interrupted. She started curiously poking at Ranma's female body.

"You had a Jusenkyo curse?" Jynn asked, looking Ranma over once more. "My, you are an interesting one."

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Ranma snarled. "You got no idea how much of a pain it is havin' this body."

"Is no so bad. At least you no turn into cat," Shampoo smiled.

The very mention of a feline sent a chill up Ranma's spine. "Good point..."

"That really is something though," Jynn said. "If you so wanted, you could run away and live out the rest of your life as a woman."

"That ain't happenin'!" Ranma snapped back at him. "I hit my head on a rock once and everyone said I thought I was really a girl for a while."

Aroma's eyes widened as Ranma continued.

"I can't remember it too well, but I guess I really freaked everyone out. Besides, I like bein' a guy just fine, thanks," Ranma said.

"Ranma think is really girl? Why Shampoo no remember this?" Shampoo asked.

"It was only for like a day. You probably weren't around," Ranma told her.

Everyone was startled when Aroma suddenly slammed her hands on the table in front of Ranma. "Ranma!"

Ranma didn't know what to think as Aroma stared her down. "W-what?!"

"Let me get this straight! You're originally a boy, but you change into a girl due to your Jusenkyo curse, right?!"

"Y-yeah...?"

"And you hit your head once and thought you really were a girl, but you don't remember it well?!"

"Yeah, so what?"

Aroma placed her hand on Ranma's head. "Multiple Personality Disorder. From the moment you became able to change into a girl, the very personality of a girl began to form in your mind. It obviously lays dormant while your true personality stays in control, with the one exception being the time you hit your head. Two different bodies, and a personality to go with each body..."

Ranma scratched her head as she tried to comprehend all of this. "Umm...okay, if you say so. What's that got to do with anything?"

Aroma was trembling with excitement as she smiled down at the pigtailed girl. "Ranma, let me use you as a test subject!"

"What you talking?! You no do anything to Ranma!" Shampoo yelled.

"Yeah, look, thanks, but no thanks," Ranma said nervously.

Aroma calmed herself down and again looked her in the eyes. "Even if I could get rid of your curse?"

Ranma and Shampoo both looked shocked at the very thought. There was no way this could be true, could it?

"Well, Ranma?" Aroma asked.

"Is...is it true? I really won't have to be a girl anymore?" Ranma asked, almost in disbelief.

"It's possible, yes," Aroma grinned.

Despite the possible benefits to Ranma, Shampoo didn't like the idea of Aroma's experimentations one bit. "But...is no sure thing it work, yes?"

"That's why I'm calling it a test," Aroma said. "Well, want to give it a try, Ranma?"

Ranma immediately jumped out of her chair. "Of course! I'll try anything to not be a girl again!"

Aroma happily wrapped Ranma in a hug. "Perfect! I've always wanted to try this, and here I'm finally getting the chance! Granny's going to freak out if this works!"

Shampoo folded her arms and leered over at her sister. "You no do anything hurt Ranma?"

"I don't think he can be hurt by this. Worse case scenario, it simply doesn't work," Aroma smiled.

After seeing the overjoyed look on Ranma's face, Shampoo couldn't argue with at least letting her sister give it a shot. "Fine, you try then."

"Will do, Shampie!" Aroma said excitedly.

"You stop calling Shampoo that!" Shampoo yelled once again.

Aroma stuck her tongue out at her little sister and began walking toward a staircase. "I'll be right back with a few things, Ranma, so go ahead and change back into a boy if you'd please!"

"Okay!" Ranma said excitedly. She'd tried numerous things to get rid of her curse in the past, all of which ended in failure, but that didn't stop her from getting her hopes up every time she came upon a new possible cure.

"Oh, that's right," Aroma said, stopping and looking over at Jynn. "You've said what you needed to say, right?"

Jynn tilted his head as he looked back at the brown-haired Amazon woman. "I believe so, yes."

"Please get out of my house then," Aroma smiled.

"Err...excuse me?" Jynn said.

"You heard her. Get the heck outta here, ya freak," Ranma said.

Shampoo nodded in agreement. "We no need you here anymore. You go wait outside if you want follow us to Nekonron."

Beneath his mask, Jynn was grimacing at the treatment he was receiving from these people. They were right, though. To wait outside until they were ready to leave, that wouldn't be a problem, he figured.

"Very well then. I'll be waiting out here until you're ready to leave," Jynn said, his frustration in dealing with everyone evident in his voice.

"Yeah, great. Feel free to just go away and stay away," Ranma muttered.

"You have no idea how much I'd like to," Jynn sighed, closing the door behind him.

* * *

A short time later, Aroma skipped up the staircase with a box in her hands. Shampoo had already heated up some water and changed Ranma back into his boy form as instructed.

"Okay, let's get started!" Aroma said excitedly, placing a strange looking incense burner on the floor. The burner had two faces carved into it that were looking in opposite directions.

Shampoo blinked several times as she looked at the object. "Shampoo know that thing! It sit in basement for very long time."

"What the heck is it?" Ranma asked curiously.

"This is what might rid you of your curse. Like Shampie said, Granny's had it sitting in our basement for nearly a century," Aroma replied, ignoring the foul look Shampoo gave her for using her pet name again.

"Oh, so it's somethin' the old ghoul had the whole time. That damn hag, I can't believe she had a cure and hid it from me," Ranma said angrily.

"Well, she couldn't have known about the time you hit your head, Ranma," Aroma said. "And like I said, this is not a guaranteed fix, it's strictly experimental. We don't know what's going to happen here."

Aroma handed Shampoo a gas mask and starting putting one on herself. "Okay, Ranma, please have a seat next to the burner."

"Why we need wear this?" Shampoo asked as Ranma sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Well, we don't need to breathe it in, only Ranma does," Aroma said. "And to be honest, I'm not sure what would happen if either of us breathed it in, so it's all for the best."

While Shampoo put her mask on, Aroma sat down in one of the chairs and readied a pen and notebook in front of her. This was such a rare chance that she wanted to write down every little detail of this experiment.

"Now then, Ranma, I need you to please clear your mind and remain calm while this is going on. Can you do that?" Aroma asked.

"Yeah, no problem," Ranma said. Although it wasn't showing, he was feeling incredibly nervous about all this. But if it worked, he could finally be free of the curse. He would never have to turn into a girl again. Even if the chance of success was only one percent, he'd take it.

Once Ranma had calmed himself, Aroma lit a match and tossed it into the burner. Ever so slowly, a stream of smoke began to seep upward.

Aroma began wafting the smoke in Ranma's direction as it came out. He started to feel strange immediately once he began breathing in the smoke. It felt like his entire body was being ripped apart from the inside, but at the same time it was painless.

Aroma studied Ranma with great interest and continued to write in her notebook as the incense started to take effect, seemingly pleased with the results thus far.

"Good, it's working," Aroma said to Shampoo.

Shampoo could see what was happening, but she almost couldn't believe it.

Ranma was feeling more awkward than he'd ever felt in his life. The nerves in his body felt like they were going crazy. Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. His nerves stopped tingling, as did that peculiar feeling of being torn apart. Everything was back to normal.

"It's...over," Aroma said in amazement. Placing her pen and notebook on her seat, she stood up and opened a window, allowing the air in the room to clear.

Ranma slowly opened his eyes and looked at his hands, but he soon realized that the incense had depleted him of his energy. Feeling very faint, he fell backward, but something stopped him from hitting the floor. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was it felt soft and warm.

Shampoo was aghast as she looked in Ranma's direction. "Aiyaa! There...two Ranma's!"

"Huh?" Ranma said. When he looked up, he saw his own girl form staring down at him. Before Ranma could express his shock, the girl slammed his face down into the floor.

"Kyaaa! Don't look at me! I don't have any clothes on!" she screamed.

Aroma quickly took the cloth that covered the table and wrapped it around the girl. "There there, it's okay. What's your name?"

The girl blinked as she looked at Aroma. "My name? It's Ranma Saotome."

Aroma nodded and smiled at her. "And do you know everyone else's name?"

The girl looked around the room for a moment. "You're Aroma. That's Shampoo. And this...is..."

"Oww..." Ranma groaned as he sat up. "Aroma, what'd you do?! That's...it's...me, isn't it?!"

"Why you no tell us something like this happen?!" Shampoo scolded her sister. "You always so irresponsible..."

"This was certainly one of the theorized results of using this burner, but to see it happen before my eyes, it's quite a shock. Honestly, I never expected it to work out this way," Aroma replied, still fascinated with what had just happened.

The pigtailed girl continued to stare at Ranma. "That's...me?"

"That's right, you were the girl that lie dormant inside Ranma's mind this whole time," Aroma said, patting the girl's head. "Do you feel alright?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," the girl responded, still feeling confused. "Does...this mean I'm free?"

"Yes, you're your own person now," Aroma smiled.

"Wait, hang on a sec," Ranma said. He quickly got up and ran to the bathroom.

The others heard the sound of the bathtub's faucet running, followed by the sound of Ranma soaking his head under it.

"Yes!!" Ranma yelled as he ran back into the room. "Look, look! I ain't a girl! I'm cured!"

Shampoo was so happy that she wrapped Ranma in a hug and began jumping up and down. "Aiyaa, it work! Ranma is whole man again! Shampoo so happy!"

The pigtailed girl seemed perplexed as she watched Ranma and Shampoo celebrate.

"Then it really was a success. Amazing," Aroma said, turning her attention to Shampoo. "I think you owe me a compliment, Shampie."

Shampoo shot her big sister an irritated look. "And why Shampoo want to do that?"

"Even now you despise me..." Aroma sulked, turning her attention back to Ranma's girl half. "You know, this is going to be awfully confusing if you're both named Ranma. Since you're your own person now, is there another name you'd like to use?"

"My...own name?" the girl asked, looking up at Aroma.

Aroma nodded. "That's right. Is there any name in particular you like?"

"You wanna give her a name?" Ranma asked. "Why not just call her Ranko? That's the name I used when I pretended to be a girl if Mom ever stopped by."

"Ranko, huh? What do you think of that?" Aroma asked the girl.

"Ranko?" the girl said. "Umm...I...don't really like that name..."

"Oh? Well then, do you have another idea?" Aroma asked.

After thinking about it for a moment, the girl's eyes widened as an idea came to her. "I...really like the name Ringo. Could I be called that?"

"Ringo?" everyone asked simultaneously.

The girl nodded. "It was the name of a singer I really liked. I always thought the name Ringo was cute."

Aroma giggled as she patted the girl's head. "I like the sound of that. Okay, from now on your name will be Ringo Saotome."

Ringo was happy as could be as she smiled at Aroma.

"Man, this all seems unreal," Ranma said, still trying to adjust to the fact that his girl half was sitting right in front of him.

"It is amazing, isn't it? I never expected that old burner to work so well," Aroma said. "Anyway, I'd like to take some time to examine Ringo here a little more. Why don't you two go get whatever weapons you need for your trip?"

"Ah, that right," Shampoo said. "Come, Ranma. Shampoo show you where we need go."

"O-oh, yeah, sure," Ranma said, looking down at Ringo once more. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," Ringo said. "Um, Ranma?"

"What is it?" Ranma asked.

"Does all this mean I won't have to be the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts anymore?" Ringo asked him.

"Huh? Well, that's my responsibility, so, yeah, I guess you're free from all that now," Ranma said. "Besides, you're a girl. You wouldn't be able to carry on the school since Mr. Tendo's children are all girls too. Well, at least not the way Pop and Mr. Tendo would want ya to."

"I suppose that makes sense," Ringo smiled. "I'm so happy! Thank you for setting me free! Now I can learn flower arrangement, and tea ceremony, and I can become a beautiful bride someday!"

"You're very welcome, Ringo," Aroma said happily. "Now you two go on ahead and get ready for your trip."

Ringo had a concerned look on her face as Ranma and Shampoo took their leave. "That's right. They...have to fight those mean people, don't they?"

Aroma patted her head again. "We can talk about that later. For now, let me run some tests to make sure you're healthy. After that we can pick out some clothes for you to wear."

"Okay," Ringo smiled.

* * *

When Ranma and Shampoo returned, Aroma, Ringo, and Jynn were waiting for them outside. Jynn didn't seem too confused about Ringo's presence, so Aroma must have explained everything to him, they figured. Shampoo noticed that Ringo was wearing some blue and white colored clothes that she used to wear before she left for Japan.

"Those Shampoo's old clothes?" Shampoo asked, feeling as though she'd some them somewhere before.

"Y-yes," Ringo said nervously. "I hope you don't mind. I thought these looked nice, and your sister said it was alright."

"Shampoo no mind. Ringo look good in those ones," Shampoo smiled.

"You two don't look half bad yourselves," Aroma said. She noticed that Shampoo had a pair of maces and a small pack tied around her waist, and Ranma had a pair of metal bands around his forearms and another pair around his shins.

"Yeah, we're good to go I guess," Ranma said. "Did you get the sleeping bags and stuff ready?"

"Yep, sure did," Aroma replied, pointing to a pile of various things next to her. "I rounded up a tent, three sleeping bags, and some food and cooking supplies that I put into this backpack here along with a couple extra sets of clothes."

"Three sleeping bags?" Ranma asked, shooting a glare in Jynn's direction. "That's pretty low, Jynn. You're with our enemy and you're gonna borrow stuff from us?"

"As if I would do something so shameful," Jynn replied nastily. "The third sleeping bag is not for me."

"Huh? Then who's it for?" Ranma asked curiously.

"It's for me," Ringo said, looking down at the ground bashfully. "I know all about what's going on, Ranma, and even though we're separated now, I feel like there's still a strong bond between the two of us. And Shampoo's hurt right now, so, even though I deplore violence, I want to come with you and help out any way I can."

Aroma placed her hand on Ringo's shoulder, giggling about how cute she was acting. "She should be fine, Ranma. As far as I can tell, she's a perfectly normal human girl."

"Err...well, I guess it's okay. She ain't gonna get dragged into our fights, is she, Jynn?" Ranma asked.

"So long as she doesn't interfere, I can guarantee she'll be fine," Jynn said. "Neither Li nor Meilin should have any desire to fight her."

"Is good, you help Shampoo cook while we away," Shampoo said approvingly.

"Oh, thank you so much," Ringo said happily.

"Well, let's get ready," Ranma said, picking up two of the sleeping bags and hoisting them over his shoulder. "I'll carry your bag for you, Ringo."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Ringo said, not wanting to be a burden to them.

"Don't worry about it. Even somethin' like this is gonna help me get ready to fight Li," Ranma replied.

Shampoo was going to pick up the other sleeping bag and the backpack, but Ranma stopped her. "Hang on, Shampoo. I think the uninvited guy should help out. Why don't you carry the rest, Jynn?"

Jynn walked over and picked up the backpack and last sleeping bag without argument. "That's fine. I should be assisting you in any way possible, right?"

"Darn right you should," Ranma replied coldly. "Let's see, what else...oh, Aroma, can you do somethin' for us?"

"Just name it," Aroma smiled.

"Could you write a letter to the old ghoul and ask her to tell everyone that we're okay and that we'll be back in a month?" Ranma asked.

Shampoo was a bit surprised by the request. "Shampoo thought Ranma no want everyone to know we here..."

"Yeah, I don't wanna worry 'em too much though. One month's a long time," Ranma said. "But just in case, make sure ya write that if anyone comes here to get involved, they could put us and everyone in Japan in danger too. I dunno what Li and Meilin would do if people started showin' up to help us. Besides, this is me and Shampoo's battle."

"Don't want everybody worrying about you, huh?" Aroma asked. "Alright, no problem. I'll bet Granny is worried sick about Shampie anyway."

Shampoo pulled a small knife out of the pack on her waist and held it out at Aroma. "You call Shampoo that one more time and Shampoo kill you."

She still had that temper of hers, Jynn thought to himself as he watched Shampoo.

"I warned you about treating me like that," Aroma grinned. "Hey, Ranma, you remember that story I was telling you earlier? Let's just say up until that day, Shampie here had a habit of hanging her laundry out to dry in the buff."

Shampoo began trembling with embarrassment as she stared down her older sister. "Now Shampoo really kill you!"

Ranma was desperately trying to hold her back while he pictured what'd happened. "So she had a habit of doin' that, and some male Amazons visited here...ohh, I get it."

Shampoo started pounding on Ranma's chest as he started to laugh. "Nobody tell Shampoo people visit village that day!"

"Hey, c'mon, that's pretty funny," Ranma laughed.

"Is no funny at all!" Shampoo cried, burying her face in Ranma's chest to hide her shame.

Once Shampoo had calmed down, Ranma looked at Aroma again. "Hey, thanks for everything, Aroma."

"Anything for my little sister and her fiancée. You take care of yourselves, alright?" Aroma smiled.

"Yeah, we will. See ya," Ranma said.

"Bye, Miss Aroma!" Ringo yelled.

"Shampoo get you back for telling Ranma that!" Shampoo snarled at her big sister.

Once the rowdy group of Ranma, Shampoo, Ringo, and Jynn made their exit from the village, Aroma went inside and began writing a letter to her great-grandmother.

"I'm sure Granny would be proud of them not wanting to drag anyone else into their fights," Aroma said as she began writing. "Let's see here, Dear Granny..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 6**


	7. Journey's Beginning

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 7  
**

Four days into their march to Nekonron, the group of Ranma, Shampoo, Ringo, and Jynn were making good progress. It was clear from their activities thus far that they were taking their preparations very seriously. If they weren't eating or sleeping, they were walking or training together. Although Ringo, Ranma's newly separated female half, had no thirst for combat whatsoever, she still agreed to spar with Ranma in place of the injured Shampoo during their journey. That, and she had one other notable duty.

"Whah, that's cold!" Ranma yelled, shooting up from his sleeping bag as he was suddenly awakened by a frigid water bath. He then immediately began feeling his chest. "Haha, yes! I'm still a guy!"

Ringo shook her head, looking down at the soaked Ranma. "Of course you're still a boy. Miss Aroma cured you, remember? Why do you insist I wake you up like this every morning?"

"Are you kiddin'?! D'you realize how happy it makes me to still be a guy after that?!" Ranma asked in disbelief. The initial shock of seeing his female half separated from him had worn off over the last four days. He now treated Ringo as he would anyone else he knew. To him it was sort of like having a twin sister, even though the two of them were nothing alike.

Ringo placed her finger in front of her mouth and shushed him. "Keep your voice down! You'll disturb Shampoo."

Ranma looked around inside their tent. "What? She ain't still sleepin'..."

Ringo pulled the cover of the tent open and pointed outside. The sun was just beginning to creep over the hills in the distance as Shampoo sat motionless not far from their tent. "You see?"

"She's...meditatin'?" Ranma asked, somewhat surprised.

Ringo nodded. "So let's not disturb her, okay?"

Ranma scratched his head as he looked out at the lavender-haired Amazon. "Wow, I ain't ever seen Shampoo do that before. Guess that's all she can really do right now though."

"It must be so tough on her, not being able to train properly because of that injury," Ringo said, feeling very badly for Shampoo.

"She can't train her body, so she trains her mind," Ranma noted. "She's really somethin' when she gets serious."

Ranma crawled out of his sleeping bag and began stretching. "Well, c'mon, let's get packed up so we can start walkin' again."

* * *

Now four days removed from the disappearance of Ranma and Shampoo, a large group of people had gathered inside the Cat Café. The group, consisting of Soun and Akane Tendo, Genma Saotome, Ukyou Kuonji, Kodachi and Tatewaki Kuno, Ryouga Hibiki, and Mousse, were all summoned to the restaurant by Cologne, for what reason they had no idea. Akane was still noticeably unhappy, having been worrying about Ranma for the last four days without any word of his current situation.

Once everyone had gathered, Cologne entered the main area of the restaurant and greeted them. "Thank you all for coming here on such short notice."

"You heard something about Ranma, didn't you?! Let's hear it!" Ryouga said impatiently.

"And what about my Shampoo?!" Mousse yelled. He'd been desperately wandering around town for the last four days, just hoping he might find Shampoo somewhere.

"Calm down, you two. I have received some news about them that should put all of your minds at ease," Cologne said, holding a letter up in the air.

Akane's face lit up with hope. "So, Ranma's alright?"

"Yes, both Ranma and Shampoo are alive and well for the time being," Cologne replied.

Kodachi wiped a tear from her eye at the wonderful news. "Oh, thank goodness my Ranma-darling is alright!"

"I just knew Ranma-honey would be okay!" Ukyou said happily.

"So, what has become of them?" Tatewaki Kuno asked, not particularly concerned but curious nonetheless.

"I'll explain," Cologne began. "This letter I hold in my hand was sent by my great-granddaughter, Aroma, who lives in my village of Joketsuzoku. According to her, Ranma and Shampoo showed up in the village four days ago, the very same day that they disappeared from here."

"They're in China?!" Soun exclaimed, everyone else in the room just as shocked as he was.

"Yes, it would appear this technique Akane told me she saw their assailants use was no joke," Cologne said. "There is more to this story though. This was all done by a rather skilled pair of warriors who wish to challenge Ranma and Shampoo in battle. An associate of the pair showed up there three days ago and gave them the details."

"That's ridiculous!" Ryouga snapped. "If they wanted to fight then why did they have to send them to China?! They could've just fought them here!"

"These are not your everyday fighters, Ryouga," Cologne replied. "Apparently they are exiled members of the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists, whom most of you should be familiar with. In addition to this, they are well-known murderers in China who have been wanted by the authorities for quite some time. They fought here once already, and not only was Shampoo badly hurt but Ranma was unable to defeat them as well. I can only guess that they thought the two were capable of more and wished to fight them at their best. They sent them to China so that Ranma and Shampoo would not be distracted by their lives here while they prepared for the next battles."

"Well, at least they're okay. This should be a good training opportunity for the boy if nothing else," Genma said, probably not as concerned about his son as he should be. "How long will they be gone?"

"They have been given a month to prepare, so they will be gone for at least that long," Cologne replied.

"A whole month without Ranma-honey?!" Ukyou yelled, not at all happy.

"I agree! I cannot bear to part with my Ranma-darling for that long!" Kodachi added, also very upset by the news. "And he's going to be all alone with that hussie the entire time!"

Cologne shot a nasty look at the foul-tempered gymnast. "Watch your mouth about my great-granddaughter!"

"Forget this! I'm not sitting around here while Shampoo could be in danger! I'm going to China!" Mousse declared.

"I'm going too! I refuse to wait a month to fight Ranma again! Besides, I can't let someone else kill him before I do! I want to fight him right now!" Ryouga added.

Cologne slammed her cane against the ground, silencing everyone in the room. "No! I forbid all of you from going to China! Ranma and Shampoo have said specifically that this was their fight and that they did not want any one of you to get involved."

"But...why would they do that?" Akane asked, still trying to stomach all of this shocking information that involved her fiancée.

"I can think of many reasons," Cologne replied. "For one, their pride as martial artists is at stake. They want to prove that they can defeat these new foes on their own. Secondly, they do not want any of you to go there and get hurt. If these warriors were willing to go to such lengths to set up this battle, I'm sure they would not be forgiving if any of you were to interrupt it. And finally, if any of you go there then they will not be able to focus on their training! If you go then you will not only be endangering your own lives, you will be endangering those of Ranma and Shampoo as well."

Most of the group was now looking down at the ground, upset but understanding of why they should stay in Japan during all of this. They all wanted to help, but they knew deep down that it was too risky. In this case, it would be best to just wait it out.

Cologne was pleased that she'd seemingly gotten through to everyone. "So that is the current state of things. If I receive any other information, I will pass it along to you. Until then, please stay in Japan and wait for Ranma and Shampoo to return."

"Very well then, I shall just have to put my battle with Saotome on hold for a short while. I shall smite him upon his return," Tatewaki Kuno said, arrogant as always.

Slowly, everyone began to file out of the restaurant. They were relieved, but at the same time worried about Ranma and Shampoo. Akane was still very gloomy, now knowing that she would have to go at least a month without Ranma's company. Even worse, there was the chance that he wouldn't return at all.

Ryouga wasn't very happy either, but he hated to see Akane looking like this and decided to try cheering her up. "Don't worry Akane, Ranma's no weakling. He'll definitely win and come back home."

"You're right, Ryouga. If anyone can do it, it's Ranma," Akane said, managing a slight smile. "He'll come back in a month and everything will be just like it used to be. We'll just have to keep busy 'til he gets back."

Ryouga walked with Soun and Akane back to the Tendo Dojo, deciding that he would stay a little while and keep Akane company in Ranma's absence. He was well aware that this could be a prime opportunity to move in on her while Ranma was away, but he also realized that given Akane's current fragile state, it was probably best for her sake to not make any moves.

And so, everyone reluctantly went on with their lives as usual. Things would be boring without Ranma or Shampoo for a month, but they could get by for that long. Then, as Akane had said, everything would be back to normal when they came home. Wouldn't it?

* * *

Evening had now come in mainland China where Ranma and Ringo were once again sparring after a long day of walking. Luckily for Ranma, Ringo's skill level was comparable to his own, sans the enthusiasm about fighting of course.

The sparring matches they'd had thus far involved Ranma being on the offensive the entire time. Ringo didn't have to do anything but dodge his attacks. Ranma's wounds were still slowing him down a bit, but he was just glad that he was able to train, which is more than could be said about his Amazon friend. The major problem Ranma was having, however, wasn't his wounds, but the "equipment" that he brought with him from Joketsuzoku.

Completely exhausted for the time being, Ranma fell to a knee and tried to catch his breath. "I think...it's about time...for dinner..."

Ringo was slightly winded, but was in much better shape than Ranma at the moment. "Ranma, I think those bands are a bit much for you," she said worriedly, referring to the metal bands that Ranma had on his legs and forearms. He was exhausted for good reason. Each of the bands on his arms weighed 40 pounds and the ones on his legs each weighed 50 pounds.

"Look, I need to be ready for Li this time. The more I use these, the more prepared I'll be," Ranma told her.

"Well, if you say so," Ringo said. "Are you sure you don't want me to do anything but dodge you?"

"Yeah, that's all you need to do for now," Ranma said.

Ringo gave Ranma a worried look as he made his way back to his feet. "Okay...I guess. Let's go have dinner then. I'm sure Shampoo worked very hard on it."

"Yeah, and I'm starvin'. Let's go," Ranma replied. "I hope Jynn didn't do nothin' to rile Shampoo up again."

* * *

Ranma let out a sigh as he and Ringo arrived at the campsite, noticing a familiar figure embedded into a nearby rock ledge.

"What'd he do this time?" Ranma asked Shampoo.

"Stupid boy no think Shampoo can defeat Meilin," she replied coldly.

"I...only said she was tougher than you thought..." Jynn retorted.

"Hey, you're still conscious. Good for you," Ranma laughed.

Ringo winced as she stared at Jynn's body stuck in the rock. "Oh my, that must hurt so badly."

"It's...really...not that bad," Jynn stammered, not fooling anybody about the amount of pain he was in.

"Here you go, Ranma. Shampoo make you too too delicious top ramen," Shampoo said, handing Ranma a bowl.

"Alright!" Ranma said happily. "I gotta admit, I never get tired of eatin' your food."

Shampoo giggled at the compliment and handed Ringo a bowl. "How you do against Ranma today?"

"Oh, I guess I did alright. I do so dislike fighting though," Ringo said in her usual humble manner.

"Are you kiddin'? You have any idea how fast you are? It's such a waste that you don't like fightin'," Ranma said.

"Oh, Ranma, I only seem fast because you insist on using those weighted bands," Ringo replied.

"Shampoo tell you those too much for you, Ranma," Shampoo said in agreement.

"It's fine, I can handle 'em. You guys worry too much," Ranma snorted.

Ringo couldn't help but look over at Jynn with pity. "Would you like some help out of there so you can eat with us?"

"I'll...catch my own food later, thank you. I'm not so brazen as to have you cook for me...when I'm an unwanted guest," Jynn replied.

"Well, least you understand we don't want ya here," Ranma said as he continued eating.

"Shampoo still no like you," Shampoo added, sticking her tongue out at Jynn.

"You guys...are a handful, you know that?" Jynn sighed.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," Ranma replied. "This is nothin' though. You should see us when we're with the rest of the guys back in Japan."

Ringo looked up at the moon for a moment and thought about everyone waiting for them. "I wonder how everyone's doing."

"Great-Grandmother probably tell them about what happen if she get Aroma's letter," Shampoo said.

"I bet Akane's worried sick," Ringo said with a frown.

Ranma stopped eating for a moment, his mind wandering to thoughts of Akane. Shampoo started to feel uncomfortable as she noticed his concern. She still didn't like the idea of him thinking about Akane, inevitable as it was. Still, she'd promised Ranma that she would wait for him to accept her feelings, and that's what she intended to do.

Once they finished eating and mockingly applauded Jynn for working his way out of the rock ledge, they went to sleep awaiting another long day of walking toward Nekonron.

* * *

Later that night as Jynn approached a clearing, he saw two figures engulfed in the moonlight.

"_You look like you've had better days, Jynn,_" Li said in Mandarin, sounding amused as he looked at the crack in Jynn's mask.

"_Shampoo always did have a bit of a temper,_" he replied.

"_So it would seem. It's quite ironic that the one Meilin wishes to fight is an old acquaintance of yours,_" Li said.

"_We never had much time to get to know each other back then. It's been so long that she doesn't even recognize me,_" Jynn replied.

"_For you to be roughed up by an injured woman, you must not be putting up any resistance against her,_" Meilin said.

Jynn shrugged as he looked over at the woman with snowy white hair. "_I have no reason to fight them._"

"_Nor should you,_" Li smiled. "_So, how are they doing?_"

"_Very well considering their injuries, Ranma especially. He's been sparring with Ringo since Shampoo is still recovering from Meilin's attack._"

"_Ringo? Who's that?_" Meilin asked.

"_Oh, right, I forgot to mention that part,_" Jynn laughed. "_Well, Ranma had a Jusenkyo curse where he turned into a girl, and Shampoo's sister used some old incense burner to separate his male and female halves._"

"_Ranma had a Jusenkyo curse?_" Li asked, sounding surprised. "_Well now, that's news to me. He must have endured his own share of suffering throughout his life. That's good, I'm sure we'll understand each other a little more because of it, although it's still nothing compared to what I've endured._"

Meilin sighed as she peered over at her partner. "_You still can't forget about it?_"

"_How could I ever forget the hatred I bear toward those people?_" Li said, smiling ever so slightly.

"_Oh, I should mention, they plan to visit Seven Luck Mountain very soon,_" Jynn quickly added.

Li seemed a bit perturbed at the thought of the group going to Nekonron. "_Do they plan on asking Kirin to aid them?_"

"_No, I think they're only gathering information on the two of you,_" Jynn said.

"_Well that's no big deal then,_" Meilin said, shrugging it off. "_Even if they tell Kirin we're planning to attack them, it doesn't change anything._"

Li nodded in agreement. "_You're right, it doesn't matter. If it's only information they're after, I see no problem with it. In any case, keep reporting back to us on their progress, Jynn._"

"_I will. Would you like to know how they're preparing for the battles?_" Jynn asked.

Li chuckled at the very question. "_No need to ask. You know the answer._"

"_That's what I thought. If you'll excuse me then..._"

As Jynn disappeared, Meilin smiled over at Li. "_Isn't it nice giving them the advantage of surprise? It just wouldn't be fun otherwise._"

"_Of course,_" Li smirked. "_After all, you never know which battle will be your last. It's necessary to make every fight as enjoyable as possible._"

* * *

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Tiger Claw Style

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 8  
**

Now a mere two weeks away from the date of their battles, Ranma and Shampoo, along with Ringo and Jynn, found themselves trekking south across mainland China. During their visit to Nekonron, Kirin had told Ranma of someone that could help him acquire power before his fight with Li. His directions were vague, however, as even he wasn't sure of the person's exact location..

"Man, we're wastin' time! Where the heck is this guy?" Ranma growled, his patience beginning to wither. His frustration with the fruitless search was becoming more evident with every day that passed. That wasn't all that was bothering him though. "Hey, he did say we were supposed to go south, right?"

Ranma looked back at the other three, but he got no response from Shampoo, who continued walking with her head down. She'd been like this ever since they left Seven Luck Mountain.

Ringo gazed over at Shampoo before looking back at Ranma. "Yes, Kirin definitely said it was this way. I'm sure we'll find his friend soon!"

Ranma reluctantly turned forward and kept walking. It was obvious that Shampoo was upset, and he had a pretty good idea what it was about, but he just couldn't think of the right thing to say to make it better.

* * *

Seven Luck Mountain came into view roughly ten days after the group had begun their journey.

"Oh man, finally," Ranma said, happy that they'd made it at last.

Upon reaching the first gate they were questioned by the brutish looking Bishamonten, who agreed to let Ranma, Shampoo, and Ringo pass. Jynn, on the other hand, was forced to wait at the bottom of the mountain due to his affiliations, which the rest of the group didn't mind at all.

As the group reached the top of the mountain and made their way to the top of the tower, they came upon the door to Kirin's chamber. Lychee, who married Kirin shortly after the group's last visit to Seven Luck Mountain, was very surprised to see them.

"Ranma!? Ranma! Lychee no see for long time!" she said excitedly, running over to greet them.

"Nihao!" Shampoo said as she walked in.

"Hiya. How's things been with you and Kirin?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, we very happy. What all of you doing here?" Lychee asked curiously.

"We need to talk to Kirin about somethin'. He around?" Ranma asked.

"What is all the commotion about?" Kirin asked as he walked into the room. He was as surprised as his wife to see Ranma standing before him. "Why, Ranma Saotome, it has been a while. What on earth brings you to Nekonron again?"

The lack of hostility was somewhat strange to Ranma considering everything that had happened the last time they came here, but it was only natural since they were on good terms with Kirin now. "Hey, long time no see. We ran into a couple old buddies of your-"

"Ranma..." Kirin interrupted.

"Huh? What?" Ranma asked.

Kirin had his eyes fixated on the shy Ringo, who started to slide behind Shampoo. "Kirin feels as if he has seen this person before, but...who is she?"

"Ah, this Ringo, Ranma's girl half," Shampoo said, sliding out of the way to give Kirin a better view of Ringo.

Ringo nervously waived her hand and smiled at him. "Um, hi..."

Kirin looked back and forth between Ranma and Ringo as he tried to understand the situation. "Ranma's...girl half? Kirin does not understand..."

"Yeah, look, can we talk about that later? We got somethin' more important to talk about," Ranma interjected.

"Yes, certainly, Kirin apologizes. Why is it that you have come here?" Kirin asked.

"The names Li and Meilin ring a bell?" Ranma asked him.

The expression on Kirin's faced turned sour as he was obviously not pleased at the mention of the names. "Tell Kirin what has happened."

After Ranma and Shampoo explained their predicament, Kirin had a pained look on his face. "Kirin is very sorry this has happened."

"Hey, it ain't like it's your fault," Ranma told him.

"Actually, Kirin fears that is not entirely correct," he replied sadly. "Very well. Kirin shall mobilize the Seven Lucky Gods to destroy Li and Meilin."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! We don't want ya to fight 'em for us!" Ranma quickly told him. He couldn't believe how fast Kirin had decided on wiping Li and Meilin out.

Kirin shot Ranma a curious look. "Do not be foolish. This is the responsibility of the Seven Lucky Gods. We shall deal with them, so please put yourselves at ease."

Ranma was about to protest some more when Shampoo suddenly stepped forward and glared at Kirin. "Shampoo want to fight Meilin, no let you kill her before Shampoo do."

"Please no fight with each other!" Lychee pleaded.

Kirin was surprised by Shampoo's directness toward him, but he remained calm as he looked into her fierce eyes. "You wish to battle Meilin that badly?"

Shampoo nodded, prompting Kirin to turn his attention back to Ranma. "Is Kirin correct in assuming you wish to battle Li?"

"You got it," Ranma replied. "We just came to hear what you know about 'em."

Kirin quietly pondered the situation for a moment before addressing them. "If that is what you truly wish, Kirin shall not interfere. Come, let us sit. Lychee, would you please make some tea for our guests?"

Finally feeling at ease that there wouldn't be a fight in their home, Lychee happily nodded and headed into their kitchen as Kirin led Ranma, Shampoo and Ringo into another room with a sitting area.

"How much did they tell you?" Kirin asked them.

"Well, Li said he got into a fight, so you kicked him off the mountain and Meilin went with him," Ranma replied.

Kirin nodded. "Yes, it is absolutely unforgivable to draw your weapon on another member of the Seven Lucky Gods. Therefore, Kirin exiled him from the mountain. It is regrettable that Meilin went with him, such a fine warrior as she was. Kirin has doubts that Monlon told you, but Meilin is actually her younger sibling."

Everyone was surprised to hear this, Shampoo more than any of them. They did have a very similar ferocity to them, she thought, but their morals were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Still, when the group reached the fourth gate earlier and told Monlon why they were there, she very sternly told them to go ahead and leave her be. That strong reaction made sense now. "Why Monlon no tell us that?"

"Monlon has tried to forget about Meilin since she feels that Meilin brought disgrace upon the Seven Lucky Gods," Kirin replied. "She is a very dedicated warrior and does not take lightly any wrongdoings. She and Meilin were very close though. On the day Meilin left this mountain, Kirin believes Monlon lost her smile."

"That must be very hard on her," Ringo said sadly.

"We must all deal with hardships at some point in our lives," Kirin said.

"Okay, so what about Li?" Ranma asked.

Kirin let out a deep breath and thought about the man who left many years ago. "That man has probably endured more hardships than any of us."

He proceeded to tell the group about how Li not only watched his parents be murdered before his eyes, but was also accused of committing the act in his village when he was younger. Kirin met Li before he took leadership of the Seven Lucky Gods, having found him wandering through a nearby forest after Li had run away from his village. Unlike the other guardians at the mountain, Li treated Kirin like he would anyone else instead of treating him like royalty, and the two quickly became friends. Kirin then convinced the mountain's guardians to train Li as a guardian as well. Eventually some people from Li's village came looking for him, having learned that they'd wrongly accused him and that a pair of thieves had actually murdered his parents, but he still held a grudge against them and refused to go back.

"That very sad story," Shampoo said. "Why Li change to what he is now?"

"It is understandable how someone with such a troubled past could become twisted as he has, but Kirin believes there was something else influencing his personality. That something is the crescent scythe he wields, Yanlou," Kirin said.

"Yanlou?" Ranma asked.

Kirin nodded. "That crescent scythe is a cursed weapon that had been in safekeeping here in the tower for centuries. It is a demonic weapon that, according to legend, takes hold of the hatred in one's heart and amplifies it greatly. Because Li's heart was so full of hatred for his former village, Yanlou chose him as it's master. All of the knowledge and power of the spirit possessing that weapon became a part of him."

"Is that when he tried to fight Bishamonten?" Ringo asked.

"No, that actually happened much later," Kirin replied. "Much to our surprise, Li appeared to be in control of that weapon. Once he was an accomplished fighter and Kirin took the role of leader of the Seven Lucky Gods, we placed Li and Meilin as the guardians of the first gate. Over time, however, Li became increasingly irritable and violent with people who came to the mountain. Then one day the incident with Bishamonten occurred. It was difficult, but Kirin had no choice but to banish him from the mountain."

"So they were gonna get you guys back, but they decided to fight us first because of what we did that one time," Ranma said.

"That would appear to be the case," Kirin replied. "It is all a very unfortunate incident. The two of them would have made fine guards."

Lychee entered the room with several cups of tea on a tray and happily placed a cup before everyone seated.

"Thanks, Lychee," Ranma said as he began sipping at it.

"Ah, she seems interested in you, Ranma," Kirin said, staring down at Ranma's feet.

"Huh? Who?" Ranma asked. When he looked down, his face went pale as he saw a white cat sniffing at his leg. "C-c-c-cat!!"

Kirin was startled as the screaming Ranma jumped up from where he was sitting and cowered behind him. "Ranma, what is the meaning of this behavior?!"

"There's a cat! Right there!" Ranma yelled in fright.

"Kirin is aware of that! What is the problem?!" Kirin snapped.

Shampoo placed the cat in her lap and began gently petting it. "Ranma...no like cat very much."

"That was not a scream of dislike, that was a scream of absolute terror," Kirin said, staring at Ranma.

Ranma began to calm down once Shampoo had seemingly neutralized the feline. "My stupid father put me through some Cat Fist training when I was six, okay?!"

Kirin narrowed his eyes as he stared over at the frightened Ranma. "Cat Fist? And yet you are still afraid of cats..."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?!" Ranma asked him.

Kirin sat quietly, thinking to himself for a moment.

"Hey! I asked what that was supposed to mean!" Ranma repeated.

"Ranma, Kirin may know a way for you to improve your chances against Li," Kirin said to him.

"What, some kinda technique?" Ranma asked.

"That is correct," Kirin said.

"No thanks, I don't need it. I'll beat him no problem," Ranma said, disregarding the offer.

"Oh? Tell Kirin, what color was Yanlou when you fought Li before?" Kirin asked.

Ranma thought back to his first encounter with the ex-guardian. "That scythe? It was just gray, silver, whatever..."

Kirin let out a sigh as he continued to peer over at him. "As Kirin thought, you were not able to push Li far enough to make him awaken Yanlou. Skilled as you may be, Ranma, you are vulnerable to Li's long range attacks. And if he were to awaken Yanlou, Kirin believes your death would be imminent."

Shampoo and Ringo were noticeably uncomfortable listening to Kirin talk about Ranma dying. Ranma didn't much like Kirin's analysis of things either, but he was well aware of his vulnerabilities to Li's energy crescent attacks. "Wait a sec, what do you mean by that scythe awakening?"

Kirin looked somewhat disturbed as old memories came back to him. "Kirin only saw it happen once. When Li first took hold of Yanlou, that scythe awakened. Or, to be more precise, it was as if Li let himself be consumed by Yanlou's power. He went into a rage that took several of us a number of hours to stop. Once we subdued Li he was able to regain his composure, but Kirin believes that should Li be pushed to his limits Yanlou would awaken once more."

Ranma was beginning to understand the severity of this a lot better after seeing Kirin's reaction. "Was it really that bad?"

Kirin nodded in reply. "Kirin believes there is a way to greatly help you. But, Ranma...do you think you could do something in mere weeks that takes some men decades?"

"D-decades?!" Ranma stammered, his initial surprise then turning into a cocky laugh. "Of course I could! Heck, I could have it down in a few days! But...Li's really that dangerous, huh?"

"He is. Kirin is going to give you directions to find an old friend of his. Yousuke is his name. He is a Japanese man, like yourself," Kirin said.

"And he'll help me learn this technique?" Ranma asked.

"Most likely he would refuse, to be honest. However, if you mention Li to him, Kirin believes he will agree to teach you," Kirin replied.

"Well, it's worth a try I guess," Ranma said, standing up and beaming confidently. "Try to do somethin' in weeks that can take some guys decades? No prob!"

"Very well. Kirin is glad he could be of assistance to you. Kirin wishes you luck in your battle, Ranma, and you as well, Shampoo," he said.

"You no worry, Shampoo and Ranma win for sure," Shampoo told him.

"You come back and visit when you done, okay?" Lychee suggested.

"Yeah, you bet," Ranma smiled.

Once they got directions to find Kirin's friend and left the chamber, Ranma and Ringo began walking down the tower's stairs again, but Shampoo remained standing next to the door in silence.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ranma asked.

A sad smile crossed Shampoo's face as she looked at him. "Shampoo just think it funny is all."

Ranma looked puzzled, not understanding what she meant. "Huh? What's funny?"

Shampoo walked right past Ranma and began descending the staircase. "Is funny...Shampoo cursed to turn into what Ranma hate more than anything."

Ringo watched Shampoo with concern before turning to the pigtailed boy. "Ranma..."

Ranma just scratched the back of his head. He was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in attitude, and he had no idea what to say to her. "Jeez, it ain't like it's my fault..."

* * *

Now a number of days since their visit to Seven Luck Mountain, the group pressed forward in search of the man named Yousuke. While Shampoo continued to walk behind everyone else, Ringo moved up next to Ranma and put her mouth next to his ear.

"Ranma, shouldn't you say something to her?" Ringo whispered.

"Like what?" Ranma whispered back.

"Couldn't you apologize to her?"

"For what? Being afraid of cats? Forget it!"

"But, Ranma..."

Their whispering was interrupted as Jynn suddenly came to a stop, looking off into the distance. "Ranma, there is a hut up on that hill. Perhaps we should go ask for directions?"

Using his hand as a visor from the sun, Ranma looked up at the hill that Jynn was talking about and saw that there was indeed a small hut up there. "Hey, there really is one. How'd you see somethin' that far away through that mask anyway?"

"Magic," Jynn replied.

Ranma leered over at him, not amused by the sarcastic remark. "Ha ha, funny. Come on, let's go see if they know this Yousuke guy."

As they approached the hut, the group noticed that it was very old and run down. The wood of the hut was rotting and part of the roof appeared to be caved in.

"Man, what a dump..." Ranma said.

No sooner had he finished his sentence when he felt the ground give way beneath him.

"What the--?!!" Ranma shouted.

Everyone turned and looked as they realized that Ranma had fallen victim to someone's pitfall.

"Ranma, are you okay?!" Ringo shouted from above as she looked in.

"Oww..." he groaned. "Who the heck put a pitfall here?!"

"Maybe the people that live here did it," Jynn commented as Ranma hopped out of the pit.

"But this is the middle of nowhere," Ranma said, brushing himself off. "You gotta be pretty paranoid to build traps out here."

"Where there is one, there may well be more. Try to watch where you step for the rest of the way," Jynn replied.

"You don't need to tell me that, you jerk! I know what I'm doin'," Ranma snapped. "C'mon, let's get movin'."

The group cautiously resumed their ascent of the hill, but saw no signs of traps for several minutes.

"Maybe the pitfall was the only trap..." Ringo said as she looked around.

"Coulda been, but don't let your guard down yet," Ranma replied.

After a few more steps, Ranma caught something out of the corner of his eye. There was something very small reflecting sunlight back at him from the ground to his left, which just happened to be right in Ringo's path.

"Ringo, stop!" Ranma quickly yelled.

It was too late though. As Ringo's foot came down on the object, an explosion of smoke engulfed the entire group. They all heard what sounded like the clanking of metal bars as the smoke began to clear.

Ranma had an annoyed look on his face as he saw that he and everyone else were now enclosed in a shabby looking metal cage.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," he said, noticing the rusted bars on the cage.

"I'm so sorry! I can't believe I did that," Ringo cried.

"The quality of this thing is horrid," Jynn said, looking at the bars with disgust.

"Why bother make such stupid trap," Shampoo said, pulling out one of her maces. With one swift blow, Shampoo caused a side of the cage to rip off from the rest and go flying down the hill. She might not have been in the best mood, but at the very least her physical condition seemed to be returning to normal. The group quickly filed out of the cage and looked around for any further traps.

"Ringo, be more careful where you step," Ranma said, leering over at her.

"S-sorry," Ringo apologized again.

"I'm gonna give these people an earful when we finally make it up there," Ranma snorted as they continued on their way. Much to their relief, there were no other traps along the rest of the route to the hut.

"Huh, guess that wasn't all that bad," Ranma said once they reached the hut. "Let's find out who these paranoid nuts are."

Shampoo stepped up to the door and knocked on it a few times. "_Hello, is anyone here?_" she called out in her native Mandarin language, but there was no answer. She tried again and waited a few seconds, but still no response.

"Forget this!" Ranma said suddenly. "I'm gonna peek inside and see if they're here."

"Are you sure that's okay, Ranma?" Ringo asked nervously.

"Hey, they made us go through their stupid traps to get here. I don't care if it's okay or not," Ranma said sourly.

As he opened the door and peeked inside, Ranma was petrified with fear at what he saw. Hundreds of little yellow eyes were leering back at him from the inside of the shabby hut. Ranma immediately turned around and ran screaming down the hill with every ounce of energy that he had while an army of cats charged out of the hut and ran after him.

Shampoo, Ringo and Jynn stood at the entrance to the hut and watched in astonishment as Ranma ran away frantically.

"What those kitty cat doing here?" Shampoo wondered aloud.

"I can't believe this pathetic man is the one Li is so eager to fight," Jynn said as he continued to watch the pigtailed boy.

"Hey, who's that?" Ringo asked, pointing out a person that was now standing in Ranma's path. It was a heavy set, middle-aged man that looked to be a bit taller than Ranma and had short black hair and a mustache. He had brown farmer's clothes on and was carrying a pack full of vegetables on his back.

Ranma was so focused on running that he didn't even notice the man standing at the bottom of the hill. As he was about to pass him, the man stuck out his arm and clotheslined Ranma, sending him to the ground with a loud thud. He continued to slide along the ground as all of the cats stopped in front of the unknown man. Finally coming to a halt, Ranma slowly stood up while holding the back of his head.

"What the heck did ya do that for?!" Ranma yelled at the man. The others had all run down from the hut to see what was going on.

The man looked over at them and scratched his head. "_What's this guy's problem?_"

"Huh?! What'd he say?!" Ranma asked, looking over at Shampoo for a translation since the man was talking in Mandarin.

Shampoo ignored Ranma for the moment and looked over at the man. "_He is short-tempered and is upset that you hit him._"

"_Is that so?_" the man replied. "_Well I'm not too happy you folks were invading my home either!_"

"Hey, quit ignorin' me!" Ranma snapped. "Were you the one that put those stupid traps there?!"

"Traps?" the man said in Japanese. The others were somewhat surprised that he could speak Japanese since he didn't respond to Ranma's complaints at first. "Oh, I remember now! I buried a couple things here a few years back to see if anyone was stupid enough to actually get caught in them. I'm sorry about that, it was just a little harmless fun."

"Fun, huh?!" Ranma said angrily. He'd heard enough. He lunged at the man with the intent of beating him half to death. But before he got the chance, the man's eyes changed. One look from them sent a paralyzing fear down Ranma's spine that caused him to fall to the ground.

Shampoo, Ringo, and Jynn had no idea what had just happened to Ranma, but the rough looking man seemed intrigued by what he'd seen.

"_Who sent you here?_" the man asked Shampoo, once again in Mandarin.

"_Kirin of the Seven Lucky Gods sent us to find a man named Yousuke,_" Shampoo told him.

The man snorted and began walking up the hill. "Kirin should know that I don't teach youngsters anymore. Leave here this instant."

The group now realized that this man was the Yousuke that they were looking for. As Kirin had said, he didn't seem willing to teach Ranma anything. While he continued walking, Ringo ran up in front of him to block his path.

"You're Yousuke, aren't you?! Kirin said to tell you that Ranma's going to fight Li..." Ringo told him, hoping he would change his mind.

Yousuke's eyes shot open at the mention of the name. He then turned around and looked back at Ranma. "You're Ranma, I assume. Was Li the one who challenged you?"

Ranma, still incredibly confused about what just happened to him, managed to stand himself up. "Y-yeah, he did..."

Yousuke let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "My sins just keep piling up, don't they?"

The group looked at each other for a moment, unsure what to do as Yousuke quietly walked up to his hut. Once the cats saw him walking up the hill, all of them stood up and ran past Yousuke to the other side of the hill behind the shack.

"Well, don't just stand there, get up here!" Yousuke yelled at Ranma and the others.

Ringo looked over at Ranma for some sort of response. "What should we do, Ranma?"

"He's the one we're supposed to see, right? We're followin' him," Ranma replied without hesitation. "Besides, I wanna know what the heck he just did to me..."

Ranma started walking to the top of the hill once again with Shampoo, Ringo, and Jynn right behind him.

* * *

Yousuke sat down at his makeshift wood table where the rest were seated and proceeded to introduce himself.

"As the young lady said, I'm the Yousuke you're looking for," he said, then turning his attention to Ranma. "You were put through Cat Fist training?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Ranma asked him.

"How long until you have to fight against Li?" Yousuke asked.

Ranma was a little annoyed that he wasn't answering his question, but he decided he wasn't going to push his luck with this guy. "About two weeks..."

"Is that all?" Yousuke asked, seemingly not happy about the short length of time.

"Um, sir, Kirin said you could teach Ranma something?" Ringo asked him.

Yousuke let out another sigh as he looked over at Ranma. "Tell me, what do you hope to achieve in life?"

"Huh? What kinda question is that?" Ranma asked him.

"Answer me!" Yousuke yelled back at him.

This guy really was serious, Ranma thought to himself. "I guess...I just wanna get stronger. No, I wanna be the best martial artist in the world!"

"Idiot..." Yousuke muttered.

"What was that?!" Ranma asked, upset over the insult.

"Do you know what happens when your goal in life is something like to be the strongest or to be the most powerful?" Yousuke asked him.

Ranma blinked a few times, not sure what he was getting at. "What?"

Yousuke slammed his palms on the table and got right in Ranma's face. "YOU END UP LIVING ALONE IN A RUN DOWN SHACK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH A BUNCH OF CATS!"

Everyone was so startled by the sudden outburst that they fell back to the floor.

"Honestly, I'd normally never teach an idiot like you anything!" Yousuke fumed. "There's more to life than strength, understand?! Strength alone won't make you happy!"

Ranma just gulped and nodded his head quietly, trying to avoid another one of Yousuke's outbursts.

"Good, if you understand then follow me," Yousuke said, standing himself up. "The rest of you stay here."

"Man, what's with this guy?" Ranma muttered. Despite his complaints about Yousuke's attitude, it seemed like he was willing to teach him whatever Kirin had sent him here to learn. After getting an assuring nod from Shampoo and Ringo, Ranma stood up and followed Yousuke out the door.

* * *

Yousuke and Ranma walked around the hut until they were on the side opposite of the entrance. All of the cats that had run up the hill earlier were laying around here, a fact that didn't please Ranma at all. His first instinct was to run, but Yousuke grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Did you ever read the Cat Fist training manual?" Yousuke asked him.

Ranma was shivering with fear, but he still managed to answer. "N-no, it was my stupid Pop that put me through that when I was six..."

"Is that so? Did he ever tell you what the last page said?" Yousuke asked.

Ranma tried to recall what Genma had told him regarding the manual. "S-somethin' like nobody was dumb enough to actually use that training method..."

Yousuke nodded. "And what do you think of that?"

"I think my Pop's a moron for not readin' it first!" Ranma snarled.

"It's a test, Ranma," Yousuke told him.

Ranma looked at him in confusion. "A...test?"

"Someone could easily read the entire manual and then give up on it after reading the final page. But you have to read between the lines sometimes," Yousuke said.

"W-what do you mean?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Do you give up, believing there really is nothing there, or do you go through with it anyway, believing there is something there? Something like that," Yousuke replied. "Or to those like you, who have gone through the training already, do you accept the fact that the training was foolish and that you gained the Cat Fist technique as a result, or do you believe there is more to it?"

Ranma was starting to see where this was going. "You're sayin'...there's more to it?"

"You saw my eyes earlier, didn't you? What did they remind you of?" Yousuke asked him.

Ranma recalled that sight that had put so much fear into him. "They looked like...the eyes of a c-cat..."

The older man in farmer's clothes chuckled to himself a bit. "It's rough being petrified of cats, isn't it? So the question is, do you accept that you're going to be that way for the remainder of your days, or do you overcome it?"

"Overcome my fear of cats?" Ranma asked, again looking at the horde of cats in terror.

"That's right," Yousuke replied. "While the Cat Fist itself is indeed a viable technique, it was never meant to be the end. When someone who endured that training overcomes their fear of cats, they acquire a power that is truly terrifying. It's not the Cat Fist, but rather something completely different. The proper name people like myself prefer to use for it would be...the Tiger Claw Style."

"T-Tiger Claw Style?" Ranma asked, his eyes still fixated on the field of cats. "You're sayin' I need to get over my fear of cats to learn it?"

"That's it," Yousuke told him. "It sounds simple enough, but surely you know how difficult it is after going through what you did."

Ranma was confident up until now, but this wasn't what he was expecting. If there was one training that he couldn't deal with in the world, it was something that involved cats. "H-hey, why'd you tell me about this?"

Yousuke was silent for a moment as he stared up into the sky. "Li being the way he is now...it's something which I'm partly responsible for. I would fight him myself, but my fighting spirit is something I threw away a long time ago. This is all I can do now."

Ranma was about to say something to him, but Yousuke had already turned around and began walking away.

"I'll tell you right now, Ranma, you need to succeed in this training to be able to defeat Li," Yousuke said to him. "Some people can't ever succeed, but you need to do it in two weeks. So get to it!"

Ranma was shaking at the very thought of it, but he still managed to utter a response. "D-damn right! I'll do it! I ain't lettin' a bunch of c-c-cats beat me!"

Yousuke managed a slight grin as he walked back inside the hut, leaving Ranma alone with the cats and a heavy burden on his shoulders.

"Dammit, why cats, of all things?" Ranma wondered aloud. "It couldn't possibly get any worse than this..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 8**


	9. Overcoming Fear

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 9  
**

Shampoo, Ringo, and Jynn watched as Yousuke walked back inside the hut, slamming the door behind him.

"Well, now that we've got the boy started on his training, why don't you tell me who you people are?" Yousuke said to them.

Shampoo glanced over at Ringo for a moment before speaking up. "My name Shampoo and this Ringo. We friends of Ranma. And that Jynn. He work for Li and Meilin..."

Yousuke leered over at Jynn, looking as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Son, what in the hell would possess you to associate yourself with those two?"

"I admire their free spirit, that's all," Jynn told him.

Yousuke scoffed at the response as he grabbed a knife from a shelf. "Free spirit? And the fact that they run around China killing people doesn't bother you? Are you serious?"

Jynn tilted his head slightly, staring at Yousuke through his mask. "It's not something you could understand."

Sitting down next to his pack of vegetables that he'd brought in earlier, Yousuke chuckled at the response and began peeling a potato. "That's right, what the hell would I know? I'm just some bum living out in the middle of nowhere..."

"Um, sir, how did you end up here, if you don't mind me asking?" Ringo asked him.

"Where, China? Oh, that's easy, you just come real close to killing your best friend, and when Japanese officials try to take you into custody you hide on a ship and come over here!" Yousuke said venomously. It was clearly a touchy subject with him.

Yousuke's sour mood was making Ringo nervous about any further conversation, but she still wanted to know more about how he factored into the situation with Li. "I'm...sorry about that. I was wondering how you ended up out here by yourself, actually..."

A very forced laughter was Yousuke's response as he continued to peel vegetables. "Oh, that one's even better! I used to live in a village near Seven Luck Mountain when I first escaped here, you see, and those rascals Kirin and Li would come by to horse around whenever they got bored. This was all before Kirin became the leader over there, of course. And me, being a power hungry idiot, always fought against them to prove how good I was. They saw it as a challenge, as boys their age would, and kept coming back for more. Even after Kirin became the Seven Lucky Gods leader, Li would keep running off to come fight me and prove he could win. And wouldn't you know, it made him all impatient and violent, and eventually he lost himself and got kicked off that mountain."

Ringo and Shampoo shared an uneasy glance as they watched Yousuke fuming to himself. Even though they believed Li was more at fault, Yousuke was obviously putting all the blame on himself for Li's loss of control.

"Yep, then everyone in my little village heard about what Li did and blamed me for it!" Yousuke continued. "They asked me to leave, I did, and years later here I am! I stay away from people, I can't ruin anyone else's lives, everything's just fine!"

Everyone looked on as Yousuke angrily took his knife and flung it into the wall of his hut, burying his face in his hands while trying to calm down.

"Shampoo no think is your fault," Shampoo said to him, her eyes solidly locked on his. "But no matter what Yousuke think, now is chance for you to save Ranma's life."

The portly Yousuke laughed again and stood himself up, looking annoyed. "Save him? I can't save him! That kid has to overcome his fear of cats in two weeks! Do you know how much of a long shot that is for someone who went through Cat Fist training?! It's ridiculous! Believe me, I've heard the rumors, I know what Li's capable of. If Ranma can't get over his fear of cats, his head's going to roll with one slash from Li's scythe."

"Getting over his fear of cats? That's what he has to do?!" Ringo asked worriedly. Having been a part of Ranma's mind, she knew how deep his fear of cats ran.

Shampoo continued to glare at Yousuke over the remark about Ranma dying. "Ranma do many tough things before and he do this too! Ranma going to learn new technique and beat Li!"

Yousuke shook his head and looked down at the palm of his hand. "The Tiger Claw Style, that's what he's trying to gain. Even if he learns it, even if he somehow defeats Li, he'll be in a dangerous situation. I know it better than anyone."

Shampoo and Ringo paid attention as Yousuke pointed at them. "You two...you're his friends, right? Then listen to me! If he manages to do this, you two make sure you watch over him! Don't let him lose control of himself and do something he regrets, you got it?!"

"Shampoo understand," Shampoo replied instantly. "We make sure look after Ranma."

Ringo nodded. "We will, we promise! So, please, do what you can to help him?"

The group's conversation was interrupted by a loud yowling noise from out behind the hut. Yousuke immediately groaned and began running for the door. "Great, here we go! Come help me with him!"

Not sure what was happening, Shampoo and Ringo followed Yousuke out behind the hut. There, among the hundreds of cats, Ranma was on all fours, continuing to yowl as he stared at everyone.

Ringo was aware of this side of Ranma as well. "Oh no, his fear overcame him! We need to calm him down somehow..."

Shampoo had only seen Ranma act like this on rare occasions, and the only thing that calmed him down, much as she hated to remember, was when he curled up in Akane's lap. "How we calm him down?"

"We just need to knock him out!" Yousuke snapped, watching as Ranma seemed ready to attack them. "Come on, let's do this!"

Shampoo and Yousuke kept on guard as Ranma leaped into the air while Ringo, not wanting to hurt Ranma, stayed in back of the pair. Unfortunately, Yousuke hadn't fought in such a long time that Ranma's speed was just too much to follow. He pounced off of Yousuke's face and went straight for Shampoo, knocking Yousuke flat on his back. Shampoo readied herself to attack Ranma as he approached, but she hesitated as she found herself looking into his eyes.

"Shampoo, look out!" Ringo yelled.

Shampoo was shaking nervously. She knew what she had to do, but she couldn't bring herself to hit him. At the last moment, she raised her arms in front of her face to shield herself. "Ranma...!"

Ringo and Yousuke both blinked as they looked to see what had happened. Shampoo still had her arms in front of her face when she began to realize that she hadn't been struck. What she did feel, however, was a heavy weight on her legs. Slowly lowering her arms, Shampoo gasped as she looked down and saw Ranma curled up in her lap. He was purring contently as he rubbed his cheek against her leg.

"Hey...you did it, Shampoo," Ringo said in amazement. "I thought Akane was the only one that could calm him down..."

"Ohhh...I'm too old and fat for this..." Yousuke muttered as he made his way to his feet, then turning his attention to Shampoo. "Seems he likes you, young lady. I guess we won't have to knock him out after all."

Shampoo smiled a bit as she ran her fingers through Ranma's hair. Akane really wasn't the only one Ranma's cat side felt comfortable with, she thought. But as happy as it made Shampoo feel, something was still bothering her deeply.

What the group didn't notice until later was that amidst all the ruckus, Jynn had vanished.

* * *

When Jynn approached a field in the late afternoon hours, he found Li sitting cross-legged in the grassy clearing. Meilin was fast asleep, snoring as she lay in the grass next to him.

"_Napping at this time of day?_" Jynn asked in Mandarin.

"_She's been getting excited and wearing herself out with her battle against Shampoo approaching,_" Li said to him. "_So, what's happened?_"

"_Kirin sent them to meet a man named Yousuke,_" Jynn replied.

Li was uncharacteristically surprised, quickly turning around to look at his subordinate. "_Yousuke?!_"

Jynn felt somewhat awkward, having never seen Li with such a look on his face. "_Y-yes..._"

While Meilin turned in her sleep, Li tried to analyze what Kirin was thinking by sending the group there. "_Jynn, which one is Yousuke teaching?_"

"_That would be Saotome,_" Jynn replied.

A wide grin crossed Li's face as he was overcome with joy at the news. "_Kirin would only have one reason to send Saotome to see Yousuke. But in such a short time...I wonder if he'll do it..._"

Li stood himself up and began walking off. "_Jynn, stay here until it's time to take Shampoo and Saotome to that place._"

Jynn seemed perplexed as he watched Li walking off. "_Are you sure?_"

"_Positive,_" Li grinned. "_I want to see if he can do it. I don't want you distracting him._"

Sitting down next to the slumbering Meilin, Jynn rested his head on his hand and stared off into the distance. "_He sure got excited all of a sudden..._"

* * *

As the sun began to set in the horizon, Ranma leaned back against the side of Yousuke's hut with exhaustion written all over his face. Beads of sweat continuously rolled off of his forehead and dripped down onto his still trembling hand. "Two days...that's all I got left..."

Day after day had passed, and the group's two week preparation time had quickly dwindled to just two days. Ranma hadn't been overcome with his fear in close to a week and had even progressed to the point where he could hold a cat in his hands for close to a minute, but he hadn't overcome his fear of cats by any stretch of the imagination. The advice and encouragement he was getting from Yousuke only helped so much. Now, with only two days left, even the usually confident Ranma had his doubts that he could pull this off.

While Ranma wiped the sweat from his face, Ringo was peeking around the side of the hut and watching him with concern. Aside from calming Ranma down when he changed into a cat, she and Shampoo hadn't had much contact with him over the last couple weeks. Yousuke had recommended that they give him space and not distract him, so that's what they did. But after watching Ranma struggle so much, Ringo wanted to do something, anything to help him.

Hearing someone sigh behind her, Ringo turned around to see Yousuke scratching his mustache. "Yousuke..."

"Not looking good, is it?" Yousuke said to her.

"No..." Ringo said sadly.

Yousuke folded his arms and turned around. "If you have any ideas, give them a try."

"What? But...didn't you want us to leave him alone?" Ringo asked him.

"That didn't work. It's time for drastic measures now. So, if you've got any ideas, go for it," Yousuke replied.

Ringo looked down at the ground, feeling unsure of herself. "But...if you can't help him, what can I do?"

"You two girls are his friends, aren't you? You might be able to get through to him better than I could. Don't underestimate yourself, got it?" Yousuke told her.

Ringo nodded her head quietly, wondering what she could possibly do to help Ranma get over his fear of cats.

Yousuke picked up his empty vegetable pack and began walking off. "I'm off to the fields again. I'll be back in a bit."

Once Yousuke walked off, Ringo walked around to the other side of the hut where Shampoo was swinging her maces around. She'd finally reached the point where she could train without worry of the wound in her side opening up again, but now she was trying to make up for the time she lost while she was out of action.

Not wanting to get in Shampoo's way, Ringo sat down a couple yards away from her and rested her head on her knees. "Shampoo, there's only two days left, aren't there?"

"That right," Shampoo said as she continued her workout.

"We haven't really gotten to talk to Ranma much lately," Ringo said.

Shampoo stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Shampoo know that. Shampoo want talk to Ranma more, but no want interrupt training. Ranma just want overcome fear of cats right now."

Ringo reached down and plucked a blade of grass from the ground, staring at it as she continued to think of what she could do to help Ranma. "But, the way things look right now..."

"Shampoo no know if Ranma get over fear of cats, but Ranma do many tough things before. Shampoo have faith in him," Shampoo said assuringly.

"I guess you're right," Ringo said, smiling slightly. "Hey, are you still mad because he's afraid of your cursed form? I've been wanting to say...I don't think it's really his fault, you know?"

Shampoo let her weapons fall to her waist and looked down at the ground sadly. "Shampoo never mad about that...just mad at self."

"What do you mean?" Ringo asked her.

Shampoo sat down on the ground and peered over at Ringo. "Ringo know when Shampoo tell Ranma just want to be friends, yes? Shampoo only do that so get close to Ranma...so Shampoo be happy. Is...Shampoo bad person for that?"

Ringo could see in Shampoo's eyes just how much this had been tearing her up inside. To feel this bad about something like that, she must care about Ranma a lot, Ringo thought to herself. But did she really have any reason to feel that way?

"I...don't think that's bad of you at all, Shampoo," Ringo said to her.

Shampoo seemed confused as she continued to look over at the redhead. "What Ringo mean?"

Ringo let go of the blade of grass she'd been holding and rested her head on her knees again. "Well...everyone wants to be happy. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. And you wanted to make Ranma happy too, right?"

Shampoo looked down at the ground and nodded. "Shampoo want more than anything to live happy life with Ranma, but...Ranma no forget about Akane..."

"Akane and Ranma have been through a lot together, Shampoo. It's only natural he still thinks about her, but he likes you too!" Ringo said to her. "There's things maybe only Akane can do for him, but there's things that only you can do too, Shampoo!"

Frustrated with where the conversation was going, Shampoo stood up and began walking away from Ringo to continue her workout. "What Shampoo can do that Akane no can do?"

Ringo couldn't think of what to say to the Amazon as she walked off. Starting to think she may have said too much, she laid her head back and stared up at the orange sky. "Ohh, what should I do...?"

* * *

There was little daylight left once Yousuke reached his vegetable fields. Normally he wouldn't bother coming out here at this time of day, but he didn't really need to collect any food anyway. He just wanted an excuse to get away from his hut for a bit. Watching and listening as Ranma tried to overcome his fear of cats was almost painful. Yousuke couldn't get the idea out of his head that at this rate Ranma would probably die at the hands of Li in two days.

"_I never thought I would see you again,_" a voice said in Mandarin.

A chill ran down Yousuke's spine as he slowly turned around, knowing exactly who was behind him. "_Li..._"

Aside from the glimmer of his scythe's blade, Li seemed like a shadow in his black outfit. "_Yousuke...you used to be so fit back when Kirin and I fought against you. What's happened to you?_"

"_You really need to ask?_" Yousuke snarled. "_It's all because you went crazy, you idiot!_"

Rather than reacting violently to the insult, Li simply chuckled to himself. "_I never went crazy, I just came to my senses is all. Actually, I should thank you for that. Fighting you all the time helped me wake up._"

Yousuke immediately clenched his fists as Li confirmed what he'd believed all along. "_What do you want?_"

"_Your Tiger Claw,_" Li smiled darkly, "_will Saotome learn it in time?_"

"_I doubt it,_" Yousuke told him. "_Li...don't kill that boy. Haven't you done enough already?_"

Yousuke gulped as he suddenly found the blade of Yanlou across his throat. Li was too far gone to help now. He should've known there was no changing Li's mind about this.

"_Whether or not Ranma learns the Tiger Claw, he will fight me in two days,_" Li said to Yousuke, removing Yanlou from his neck as he turned around. "_After I get rid of him, I'll come back and thank you properly...for trying to make my battle with him more exciting._"

Yousuke raised his arms to shield his eyes as a bright blue light flashed in front of him. When it dispersed, Li was gone. Yousuke fell to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground out of frustration. For all the people that Li had killed, he thought, he probably deserved whatever Li planned on doing with him.

* * *

In the early morning hours that night, Yousuke still hadn't returned as Shampoo slept soundly in the hut. Outside, Ringo could still hear Ranma trying his hardest. There wasn't any time left, she thought to herself. She had to try to help him.

Ringo grabbed a bucket of water that Yousuke kept in his home and walked over to where Shampoo was sleeping. Silently apologizing for what she was about to do, Ringo dumped the bucket of water on Shampoo's face. Surprised and aggravated about being so rudely awakened, Shampoo, now in her cat form, hissed at her angrily.

"I'm sorry, Shampoo, but I need you to be like that if we're going to help Ranma out," Ringo said, reaching down to pick Shampoo up. Shampoo wasn't at all happy about being drenched while she was trying to sleep though, and bit Ringo's hand to show it.

"Ouch! Stop that! Please!" Ringo cried out, pulling her hand back and holding onto it. "We...we need to help Ranma! Remember I said there's things only you can do for him? This is one of them! Please, I need you to help me!"

Now feeling more calm since she knew what was going on, Shampoo noticed the desperate look in Ringo's eyes. She had no idea what Ringo was thinking of, but she wanted to help Ranma as much as anyone. Deciding to go along with Ringo's plan, Shampoo lowered her head and let out a meow.

"Thank you, Shampoo," Ringo said happily, taking that meow as a verbal agreement to help.

After picking Shampoo up, Ringo quietly opened the door and walked outside. When she walked around back, she saw Ranma sitting a good distance from the horde of cats. He was still shaking with fear despite the progress he'd made.

"Ranma..." Ringo said softly as she walked over to him. She held Shampoo behind her back so Ranma wouldn't see her.

Ranma let out a gasp as he was startled by Ringo's voice. "Jeez, you scared the heck outta me. I thought you were asleep."

"How are things going?" Ringo asked him.

The pigtailed boy looked down at the ground in shame. "I ain't even close..."

Ranma suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. When he looked back, he saw Ringo holding him from behind.

"Ranma, it's alright," Ringo said warmly, "we're here with you. Don't be afraid."

Feeling something in his lap, Ranma quickly looked down and saw Shampoo sitting there. He tried to jump back as fast as he could, but Ringo wouldn't allow him to move.

"Ringo...please! I-I can't take this...!" Ranma said in a panicked voice.

"Ranma, why are you afraid of cats?" Ringo asked calmly. "Are you afraid they're going to tear away at your skin with their claws like they did back when you were a little boy?"

Ranma nodded nervously, still in a state of panic over the cat sitting on his lap.

"Do you really think Shampoo would do that to you?" Ringo asked him.

Taking Ringo's words to heart, Ranma looked down into the eyes of the cat in his lap. They were Shampoo's eyes, no doubt. He looked down at her and remembered those nights he'd spent talking to her back home. They were the same eyes of the girl that looked out at the city lights with him from the roof of the Tendo home. They were the same eyes of the girl that he now considered to be a close friend, the girl that saved his life on two occasions. They were the same eyes of the girl he realized he'd gradually come to feel more comfortable around than most anyone.

Slowly, cautiously, Ranma lifted his arm up and placed his hand on Shampoo's head. She started to nuzzle his hand with her furry little head and purr.

"Do you feel like you're in any danger, Ranma? Is this cat showing you anything other than love and kindness by purring and rubbing it's head against you?" Ringo asked him.

"No...Shampoo wouldn't do nothin' to hurt me..." Ranma said, continuing to pet her. Feeling comfortable in Ranma's lap and still exhausted from her workout earlier, Shampoo curled up into a ball and eventually fell asleep.

Ringo unwrapped herself from around Ranma's neck and sat down next to him. "You see now, Ranma? There's nothing to be afraid of. Most cats are very kind. If you show them love and kindness, they'll show you the same."

Ranma didn't answer her, just continuing to stare down at Shampoo. Feeling that she'd done all she could, Ringo stood up and walked off.

As Ranma sat alone with Shampoo in his lap, he felt so stupid that he felt like laughing at himself. "What was I afraid of all this time? I can't believe how dumb I am. Guess I owe ya again, Shampoo..."

Gently setting Shampoo down on the ground, Ranma walked with a newfound confidence toward Yousuke's cats. Slightly nervous but determined nonetheless, Ranma sat down in the middle of them and patted his lap, motioning for the cats to come to him. Several of them hopped on his lap while another perched itself atop his head. Two more then hopped up, one sitting on each of his shoulders. Ranma just sat and watched calmly as the rest gathered around him.

None of the cats showed any hostility toward him, he quickly noticed. Some curled up into a ball onto his lap as Shampoo had while others would hop up and down from his shoulders and rub against his neck. Ranma then began to pet one of them on his lap, which stretched out it's legs and began purring. Ranma was finally becoming aware of the true nature of cats.

"It really was stupid, wasn't it?" Ranma said to no one in particular.

All of a sudden, Ranma cringed, feeling a shock wave run through his body. It was like something he'd never felt before. Every part of his body felt strange, but none more than his hands. He looked down at his palms and started to move his fingers around. They felt almost as if they could rip through anything.

"Ranma!"

Surprised by the outburst, Ranma spun around and saw Yousuke standing behind him. Yousuke nearly stumbled and fell down when he looked at Ranma's face.

"Do you know what your eyes look like right now?" Yousuke asked him. Ranma's eyes widened as he watched Yousuke's eyes change to the glowing, yellow cat eyes that he'd seen the first day they met. "They look like this. And to think you did it in less than two weeks...if I hadn't seen it I never would've believed it..."

"My eyes...look like that?" Ranma asked in disbelief. But Yousuke's eyes, he noticed, didn't make him feel even a hint of fear anymore. "Did I...did I really do it?"

"Stand up," Yousuke ordered, walking over to a rock he saw laying on the ground.

Ranma let the cats hop off of him and stood up as Yousuke commanded.

"Now...think fast!" Yousuke yelled, throwing the basketball-sized rock at Ranma.

Instinctively, Ranma swiped his fist against the rock once it reached him. He watched as his fingers sliced through the rock like it was a piece of paper, the little shards that remained falling to the ground in front of him along with a small cloud of dust.

He couldn't help but stare at his hands in amazement. "No way...how the heck did I do that?"

Yousuke pointed his finger at his head as he walked over to Ranma. "When you went through the Cat Fist training, the personality of a cat formed in your head. Whenever you were overcome with your fear of cats, it would take control of you. While cats defend themselves just fine, they're reckless and they have no sense of how to properly fight. That's why it's dangerous using the Cat Fist."

"I guess you got a point..." Ranma said, understanding well what Yousuke was trying to say. "How does this work though?"

Yousuke nodded and put his hand on Ranma's shoulder. "When you overcame your fear of cats, you took control of that cat in your head. The result of that is what you just gained, the Tiger Claw. Your reflexes are better, your senses are sharper, and your body naturally gathers a hell of a lot of chi energy in your hands. You feel it, right?"

Ranma looked down at his hands and began stretching them again. "So that's what that feeling is..."

"Ranma...I'm going to tell you three things, and I want you to listen carefully, got it?" Yousuke said to him.

Ranma quietly nodded and paid attention.

"One, when you call upon the Tiger Claw, you can use your hands to cut through Li's energy projectiles or his body. That's what you'll use it for. But I'll tell you right now, you can't stop his scythe's blade. That thing is special, it's cursed. Don't even try to cut through it," Yousuke said sternly. "Two, you go ahead and use the Tiger Claw against Li, but don't ever use it unless there's lives at risk. It's dangerous if you let the power get to your head, you understand me? Never ever use it against your friends."

Ranma could tell somehow that Yousuke was speaking from personal experience. "Yeah...I got it. What's the third thing?"

Yousuke looked over at Shampoo, sleeping peacefully in her cat form, and smiled. "You've got good friends, so be sure to thank them for putting up with you. If you treat them right, you'll end up living a much happier life than I have."

He was right, Ranma thought as he looked over at Shampoo. He never realized how lucky he was to have such good friends until now. "Yeah...I'll do that..."

"Good deal," Yousuke said, turning around as he started to walk off. "I'm going to sleep. You get used to the Tiger Claw for a while and then you do the same, but once you wake up I want you three out of here, got it?"

"Yeah, no prob," Ranma smiled. "Hey, Yousuke...thanks, I mean it."

Yousuke just grunted in reply as he walked off. Once he reached the entrance to his hut, he found an exhausted looking Ringo sitting by the door.

"Feeling more confident now?" Yousuke laughed, walking inside and closing the door behind him.

Ringo let out a sigh as she held her hand against her chest. "That was too much...I don't ever want to do that again..."

* * *

When everyone woke up the next morning, Yousuke was nowhere to be found. Judging from how Yousuke told Ranma to leave once they awakened, he figured Yousuke just didn't want to see them off. Ringo wanted to stick around to thank Yousuke for what he'd done, but Ranma's insistence that they leave eventually won out.

After gathering their belongings, Ranma, Shampoo, and Ringo walked for a couple hours and then set up camp in a quiet, remote field. While Ringo handled the cooking, Ranma and Shampoo spent their final day before their respective battles making last minute preparations and ensuring they were ready. Once the three of them ate dinner, they decided to spend the remainder of the night relaxing. Things had been hectic with them, especially for the last couple weeks, so a change of pace was just what they needed.

As the three of them were joking and chatting with each other under the starry sky late that night, Ringo let out a loud yawn.

"It's getting kind of late. I think I'm going to sleep, you guys," Ringo said to them.

"Alright, I don't think I'll be far behind ya," Ranma replied.

Ringo yawned again as she stood herself up. "Okay. Goodnight, Ranma. Goodnight, Shampoo."

While Ringo crawled in her sleeping bag, Ranma turned and looked at Shampoo. "Guess this is almost over, huh?"

Shampoo nodded. "Last month go by very fast..."

"Yeah, no kiddin'. Once we beat those two creeps tomorrow, we can finally go home," Ranma said.

Ranma expected to get a smile out of Shampoo, but instead she just looked down at the ground with an unhappy expression on her face. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The Amazon girl nervously put her hand on his and looked back at him. "Shampoo...finally get to spend time with Ranma away from distractions in Japan. When we go back...Shampoo no get to see Ranma as much. Ranma need go to school...and be spending time with Akane too..."

Ranma scratched his head as he turned his gaze away from her. Dealing with girls' feelings admittedly wasn't something he was good at. He could always give it a shot though, he figured.

"Well, yeah...that's true I guess," Ranma started to say, "but that don't mean we won't see each other. I'll make time to do stuff with ya, okay?"

"Ranma promise?" Shampoo asked.

"Promise," Ranma replied, turning to look at her again. "I mean...I got over my fear of cats because of you. You're...important..."

The last part of what Ranma said came out strange as he felt embarrassed to say it, but Shampoo understood him perfectly. Of everything Ranma had ever said to her, hearing him say she was important made her feel happier than anything else.

Shampoo finally smiled again as she giggled at Ranma's embarrassment. "Shampoo important enough to take on date when we go back?"

"How'd I know that was comin'?" Ranma said sarcastically. "Well, I guess one date to celebrate ain't gonna hurt..."

Shampoo jumped to her feet and raised her arms in the air joyously. "Aiyaa, so happy! Shampoo ready beat stupid coward girl now! Ranma no have problem beat Li tomorrow, yes?"

"I'll beat that jerk to a pulp!" Ranma said confidently. "Then that'll be the end of all this."

After a moment, Ranma stood himself up and began to stretch. "Guess we should get some sleep..."

Ranma was about to head to his sleeping bag, but Shampoo grabbed onto his arm and pulled him down to a sitting position again. "Hey, what's wrong now?"

"Shampoo...no get to see Ranma much since you train with cats for long time. You sit and talk with Shampoo more?" she asked hopefully.

"Umm...sure, if ya want," Ranma said, scratching his head again. He really hadn't talked with either Shampoo or Ringo much since his Tiger Claw training started, so he figured talking with Shampoo a little more couldn't hurt. One thing Yousuke said to him that he'd taken to heart was to be good to his friends, and he wasn't going to forget that.

The two of them sat around and talked with each other for a while longer before Shampoo was finally satisfied and suggested that they get some rest.

* * *

When morning rolled around, Ringo woke the others up early so that they could warm up for their battles. A while later, the robed, masked man that they'd all become familiar with showed himself before them.

"Hey, where've you been?" Ranma asked Jynn as he approached them.

"I'm sorry, did you miss me? I thought you didn't like me," he said.

"We don't," Ranma snapped back.

Ranma was decked out in his white, Chinese style fighting attire that he'd gotten from Aroma, complete with the weighted bands that he hadn't removed once since leaving Joketsuzoku. Shampoo, too, stood ready, now fully healed from her injury sustained at the hands of Meilin. She was wearing blue fighting attire similar to the pink outfit she'd worn when she first chased Ranma to Japan, along with a pack of throwing knives around her waist and a pair of maces in hand.

"I take it you're ready?" Jynn asked them.

Ranma slammed his fists together as he stared at Jynn. "I've been ready for a long time. Time to pay those bastards back for messin' with us."

"Shampoo finally get revenge for this, too..." Shampoo said bitterly as she felt the area in her abdomen where Meilin had cut her. Although she hadn't been overly vocal about it, she'd been fuming on the inside for the past month over what Meilin did. She was overjoyed that the time had finally come to pay her back for what she did that day in Japan.

"Oh, I'm so very nervous about all this..." Ringo said worriedly.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll be fine, just you wait and see," Ranma assured her.

"We'll see about that, Ranma," Jynn said to him. "Well then, let's get going."

Once the group gathered their belongings, Jynn clasped his hands together and a blue light began to shine beneath everyone, and with a loud yell of the word "Shift" from Jynn, everyone vanished.

* * *

**End of Chapter 9**


	10. Fight for your Lives!:  Part I

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

As the light from Jynn's Shift technique dissipated, Ringo, Shampoo and Ranma found themselves staring at a scene that was like something out of a nightmare. The overcast skies allowed little sunlight to pass through and a light fog enveloped the entire area, but it was still easy enough to see the desolate surroundings. The ground was littered with dead grass, mud, and the skeletal remains of animals.

Ringo let out a shriek and grabbed hold of Ranma's shirt as she noticed a tiny skull next to her feet. "This place is awful! Where are we?!"

Shampoo had only heard stories of this area, but she could tell immediately where Jynn had brought them. "This is...Valley of Death..."

"Valley of Death?" Ranma asked her, still trying to take in the disturbing scenery.

"Is valley in northern China that surrounded by mountains," Shampoo replied. "Many things that come here no can get out...and they die."

Ranma grimaced as he leered over at Jynn. "Man, what bad taste. What the heck kinda place to fight is this?"

"I don't ask questions, I just brought you where they told me to," Jynn replied with a shrug, then pointing toward a fork that split two muddy paths through the dead grass. "As you can see, there are two paths in front of you. Shampoo, Meilin is waiting for you at the end of the left path. Ranma, Li is waiting at the end of the right one."

Ranma and Shampoo were silent as they stared forward at the two paths before them. Then, without a word, both of them walked up to the fork in the paths and stopped.

"Please come back safe, you two!" Ringo yelled. She was a nervous wreck, but she knew this day had to come eventually. She could only hope that things would turn out for the best.

Ranma and Shampoo looked at each other for a moment before Shampoo stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ranma. Tightening her grip around his shoulders, she put her mouth next to his ear and began whispering to him. "Ranma be careful..."

Ranma didn't get the chance to respond as Shampoo quickly let go and took off running down the left path. Ranma scratched his head as he was left to wonder why she took off so suddenly. "Jeez, you don't gotta tell me that..."

Ranma turned to Jynn one last time before heading out. "Jynn, don't let nothin' happen to Ringo. You got it?!"

"You have my word," Jynn assured him.

With one last glance toward Ringo, Ranma turned around and began running down the fork's right path.

Apparently having no intention of watching either Meilin or Li fight, Jynn took a seat on a large rock nearby and motioned for Ringo to do the same.

"It might be a while, so have a seat and try to relax," Jynn said to her.

"How can I relax at a time like this?!" Ringo shrieked, refusing to sit down. "Ohh, please let them be okay..."

Jynn simply shrugged off the refusal and rested his head on his palm. In his mind, there wasn't any question about what the results of today would be. He'd never seen either Meilin or Li lose before. To him, they were shining examples of both unrivaled strength and complete freedom, something he'd never experienced until he met them. In his mind, those two losing wasn't just unlikely, it was impossible.

* * *

While Shampoo ran along the muddy path, it was hard for her not to notice the gloomy sights surrounding her. The further she ran, the more bones she saw scattered along the ground. Dead, barren trees could be seen through the fog. If there was ever a place that could be called hell, this was it. After running for several more minutes, Shampoo stopped as she reached the end of the path and found herself staring at a wall of rock with an entrance at the base.

Shampoo knew Meilin was probably waiting inside, but she couldn't help wondering why she would want to fight in such a place. Cautiously, she walked in and began moving down a dimly lit corridor. She wouldn't have put it past Meilin to ambush her out of nowhere or leave some sort of trap for her, so she kept a close eye out for anything strange and proceeded very carefully. It wasn't long before she spotted a brighter area ahead of her. Once she made her way to the end of the corridor, she came upon a vast cavern with no ceiling to it. The gloomy skies above lit up everything in the roughly 60 foot diameter cavern, and standing at the opposite end was Meilin. Wearing only sandals and a black tank top and tight-fitting shorts with a red gourd tied to her waist, she calmly rested her hands on the hilt of her snake sword that was planted in the ground in front of her.

"I'm glad you could make it," Meilin said with a smirk.

"Shampoo no miss this for world," Shampoo replied sourly.

Meilin giggled to herself briefly and took a deep breath. "I hear you went to Seven Luck Mountain. How's my dear sister doing? I haven't seen her in such a long time..."

Shampoo walked further into the cavern and began stretching as Meilin continued to stand around. "Monlon just fine, but still no happy with you."

"Honestly, she needs to learn how to relax and let things go," Meilin sighed. "So, how's your little cut doing?"

Shampoo lifted up her shirt slightly to show Meilin the now barely visible wound from when she'd attacked her. "Is no problem now. Shampoo get revenge for what you do that day!"

"Ooh, testy," Meilin said with a smile. "That might be a little tough without your shadow trick though."

Shampoo looked down at her feet and noticed what Meilin was referring to immediately. The way this place was set up, the light from above caused only a very tiny shadow to appear beneath her. If she'd needed to use her Shadow Bind it would be extremely limited, but Meilin had the wrong idea about the technique.

"So sorry. I don't normally need to do this, but that shadow move of yours is a little cheap," Meilin said to her.

A confused look appeared on Meilin's face as Shampoo suddenly burst out laughing at her. "Stupid girl! Shadow Bind no have use in one-on-one fight!"

"What do you mean?" Meilin asked, sounding more annoyed now.

"If Shampoo catch somebody shadow, Shampoo no can move either. We just stand still if Shampoo do that!" Shampoo replied, continuing to laugh at her opponent's failure to put her at a disadvantage.

Meilin angrily lifted her snake sword from the ground and raised it above her head. "Don't you mock me!"

With a swipe of her arm, Meilin's snake sword began extending toward Shampoo just as it had a month earlier. Shampoo was well aware of her attack this time around and swatted the snake sword back at the white-haired woman with one of her maces. With a quick flick of her wrist, Meilin made the sword fold back to it's single-bladed appearance.

"Things different when you attack Shampoo from front, yes? Now is Shampoo's turn to attack!" Shampoo yelled, reaching into the pack around her waist. She pulled out three throwing knives and flung them at Meilin before charging toward her.

Meilin swiftly knocked the knives away with her sword and stepped forward to engage the Amazon warrior. Sparks lit the cavern as Meilin's sword and Shampoo's mace collided at high speed. Shampoo and Meilin traded fierce blows several times, each blocking the other's attack with their weapons. As Meilin took another swipe with her sword, Shampoo jumped high into the air and threw half a dozen throwing knives down at her. Reacting as quickly as she could, Meilin flipped backward out of harm's way, but not before one knife put a gash in her forearm before planting itself into the ground.

Meilin briefly glanced at the blood trickling from her forearm as Shampoo landed on the ground a short distance from her. "Nicely done, but I still can't see how you managed to defeat my sister."

"Shampoo just getting warmed up!" Shampoo yelled as she ran toward Meilin again.

Meilin raised her snake sword above her head and unleashed it from a distance once again. Shampoo swatted the extending segments away, but this time it came right back at her. Not expecting Meilin's control of the sword to be so precise, Shampoo had no way of blocking it in time. She tried to leap out of it's path, but the tip of the sword's end segment caught her right hand and dug into it. Shampoo winced as she landed on the ground again with blood dripping down her fingers.

Seeing an opening, Meilin folded the sword back up into a single blade and ran toward Shampoo. She tried to connect with an overhand slash, but Shampoo quickly swatted it away with one of her maces. With incredible hand speed, she smashed her other mace directly into Meilin's abdomen. Meilin cried out in pain as she jumped back and out of Shampoo's attack range and fell to one knee, desperately trying to catch her breath. She felt a sharp pain with every breath, which she feared was the result of some cracked ribs. She was quickly beginning to realize that she'd underestimated Shampoo's speed.

"You still think Shampoo weak?" Shampoo asked her coldly.

Meilin was still breathing heavily as she snarled at her opponent. "I just let my guard down...that's all. I won't make that mistake again..."

Trying to ignore as much of the pain as she could manage, Meilin slowly stood herself back up. Her carelessness had caused her an early handicap in this fight, something she couldn't afford to let happen again. Now completely focused, she held out her sword and readied to assault the Amazon once more.

* * *

Along the other muddy path, Ranma was moving quickly toward the area where Li was waiting. One thing that was beginning to catch his attention was the faint sound of rushing water in the distance, which was much easier to hear in a lifeless place like this that had few sounds than it would be anywhere else. It might not matter in the end, but he felt better knowing as much as possible about the environment he and Li would be fighting in.

As Ranma reached the top of a small hill, he came across a clearing that had many fewer obstructions on the ground than the path he'd just run along. From here he could also see a muddy river off in the distance, the source of the sound of rushing water that he'd been hearing. But more important was what he saw halfway between himself and the river. There, sitting on a small boulder, was Li. He was clad in the same black Chinese shirt and pants that he wore the last time he'd seen him and had his scythe, Yanlou, strapped to his back. He had one foot on the rock and the other on the ground below as his ponytail swayed with the wind behind his head.

Li looked up and smiled with anticipation as his eyes met with Ranma. The pigtailed boy calmly continued walking forward for several minutes until he finally reached the area where Li was waiting, never taking his eyes off of his target once. When Ranma stopped in front of the boulder, he and Li took a long moment to stare at each other before Li finally spoke up.

"You seem well," he said to Ranma.

"Yeah, I bet," Ranma replied angrily, remembering the bad state he was in the last time Li saw him. "Why'd you wanna fight in this kinda place?"

Li shrugged his shoulders as he continued staring into Ranma's eyes. "I didn't care where we fought. We just came here because it was advantageous for Meilin to fight your friend in a spot nearby, that's all."

"That so? Well, whatever," Ranma replied indifferently. "Me and Shampoo got some people waitin' for us in Japan, so let's hurry up and get this over with."

Li chuckled to himself at the response as he hopped off the boulder. "You sound awfully confident considering what happened the last time we fought. Did you forget what happened already?"

"Like I'd forget that. Things ain't gonna be the same this time, pal," Ranma said, his eyes full of confidence.

"That's what I'd like to believe," Li said with a smirk. "I went to a lot of trouble to put all this together. Week after week I waited, always hoping for that slim chance that you'd improve enough to fight with me evenly. I hope this time you'll provide me with the challenge I've desired, Ranma Saotome."

"I'll give you the challenge of your life," Ranma replied coldly.

One at a time, Ranma began removing the weighted bands from his forearms and then from his legs. With each band removed, there was a loud thud as he let it drop to the ground. Once they were all off, Li watched somewhat amused as Ranma hopped around to get used to the feeling of not wearing the weights anymore.

"Do you honestly think wearing those ridiculous things improved your chances against me?" Li asked arrogantly.

Without any warning, Ranma sped toward Li and swung at his face. Caught off guard by Ranma's speed, Li couldn't raise his hands in time to block the punch. Ranma's fist connected with Li's cheek and sent him leaping backward to get some distance between himself and Ranma.

Li began laughing as he rubbed his face while Ranma danced around some more to get used to his speed. "Well now, I wasn't expecting that. Want to try it again?"

Ranma shot him a quick glance before speeding forward again, this time swinging a kick at Li's ribs. Li managed to see this attack, however, and blocked it with his forearm. Ranma followed with a series of punches that Li successfully blocked each time. Ranma took one final swing at Li's face, but Li read it and caught Ranma's fist in the palm of his hand. The fact that Li was already adjusting to his speed was something that didn't come as a surprise to Ranma after the display he'd put on in their first encounter back in Japan.

"Much improved, but it's still not enough," Li said with a wicked grin.

Expecting a frustrated reply from his opponent, Li was surprised to see Ranma grinning arrogantly back at him. "Yeah, you're right, this ain't enough..."

A nostalgic feeling of fear ran through Li's body as he saw Ranma's eyes change into those of a wild feline. The yellow glow of those eyes was the same one that drove him to the brink of madness when he used to fight Yousuke.

"This should be plenty, though!" Ranma yelled. His chi energy gathering in his hand, Ranma broke free of Li's grasp and swiped his fingers across Li's chest as if he had the claws of wild beast.

Li had instinctively started to jump back as Ranma swiped at him, but he couldn't avoid all of the attack. He cringed when he felt the skin on his chest being ripped through by Ranma's hand. Once he was safely out of Ranma's range, Li looked down at his torn shirt and the blood seeping from his chest. It had been a long time, but he knew this feeling all too well.

"You...you learned Yousuke's Tiger Claw Style..." Li scowled, shooting Ranma a look of pure anger.

Ranma hadn't seen Li looking so frustrated and angry before, but he didn't let it phase him. He simply looked at Li with his cold, feline eyes and smirked. "I told ya, things ain't like last time. You keep holdin' back like that and you're gonna get hurt."

Li took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking up at Ranma again and smiling. "Seems I might have taken you too lightly. Maybe this will be exciting after all..."

* * *

Inside the cavern, Shampoo and Meilin were once again engaging in close combat. Sparks lit the air as Shampoo blocked several attacks from Meilin's folded up sword. Knocking the sword away once more, Shampoo swung her leg at Meilin's head as she spun around. Meilin saw it coming, however, and batted the kick away with her free hand. With Shampoo now off balance, Meilin thrust her knee into Shampoo's abdomen, knocking her to the ground. Shampoo rolled into a kneeling position and took a moment to regain her composure as Meilin's snake sword began to unravel once more.

With a powerful cry and a quick flick of her wrist, Meilin sent her sword's segments flying toward Shampoo again. Shampoo knocked away the initial strike with her mace, but Meilin manipulated the blades to keep striking relentlessly. Strike after strike, Shampoo was somehow managing to knock the blade back. After knocking the blade away close to twenty times, Shampoo swatted it away once more and reached into her pack, swiftly tossing a pair of her knives at Meilin before she could attack again. She was counting on the assumption that she would have a moment to attack when Meilin attempted to dodge her knives.

Shampoo began to close in on Meilin, but she never did dodge the knives. Instead, Meilin maneuvered the nearer segments of her sword to block the knives while the end ones continued to target Shampoo. As Shampoo's knives were deflected away, the end segment of Meilin's sword swung back around and caught Shampoo in her shoulder before she could react. Shampoo cried out in pain and fell to one knee as the blade dug into her shoulder and caused blood to start running down her arm.

Letting her sword fold back up, Meilin stared at Shampoo with a wicked smile across her face. "Clever idea, but it takes more than that to get to me."

Now bleeding badly from both her shoulder and her hand, Shampoo stood up and held her maces out in front of her with her good arm. "Shampoo swear no lose this fight!"

Meilin's demeanor turned bitter as Shampoo declared victory despite her being at a disadvantage. "If there's anything I hate, it's a stupid girl that can't acknowledge when she's beaten!"

The white-haired rogue rushed at Shampoo looking as though she were going to attack with her sword, but as she raised it in the air she instead swung around and delivered a kick to Shampoo's injured shoulder. Hindered by the already injured shoulder and unable to react in time, Shampoo was struck full force and flew from Meilin's foot into the side of the cavern. Shampoo immediately grabbed hold of her shoulder and cringed as she fell to the cavern floor.

"Ready to admit defeat yet?" Meilin asked as she watched Shampoo writhe in pain.

After taking a moment to get used to the pain in her arm, Shampoo slowly stood up and shot a confident smirk toward Meilin.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?!" Meilin yelled, becoming increasingly frustrated with Shampoo's unwavering determination.

"Shampoo win now, that why," she replied, reaching her good hand into the pack around her waist.

"I'm getting really tired of that attitude of yours," Meilin said angrily as she leered back at the Amazon. "In fact, I'm going to put an end to it right now!"

Meilin immediately raised her snake sword and sent it flying toward Shampoo, who was still standing next to the cavern's wall. Just as the sword's end segment was about to pierce Shampoo, she quickly moved to the side. With blood trickling down her cheek after so narrowly dodging the blade, she pulled her hand out of the pack and tossed three knives directly behind her as she rushed forward at Meilin as fast as she could manage. Meilin made a quick adjustment to retract her sword as she saw Shampoo closing in, but she soon realized that her sword wouldn't return.

"What's going on here?!" Meilin yelled out in confusion.

Unsure of what was happening and completely off guard, Meilin was unprepared as Shampoo moved in and sent her flying back into the cavern's opposite wall with a crushing blow to the chest from her mace. The impact of Shampoo's blow caused Meilin's snake sword to loosen from her grasp and fall to the ground as her body smashed against the side of the cavern. Not wasting the opportunity, Shampoo quickly rushed in and delivered another vicious blow from her mace to Meilin's arm.

Yelling out as she felt the bone in her arm snap, Meilin desperately reached into her shorts and threw a marble on the ground that exploded into a plume of smoke. While a coughing Shampoo ran from the smoke cloud, Meilin crawled away and clutched at her chest with her good arm. She was almost in disbelief of the change in momentum that she'd just fallen victim to. In search of some sort of answer, Meilin ran her eyes along the length of her snake sword until she saw the tip. The tail segment, she realized, had been pinned against the wall of the cavern by Shampoo's throwing knives.

Meilin was seething as she stared angrily at Shampoo. "You...baited me into a trap..."

"This fight over," Shampoo said to her with a deadly glare in her eyes. "You no can defeat Shampoo with one arm."

Meilin slowly got back to her feet, her eyes looking down at the ground as Shampoo's words sunk in. "Over? This fight...is not over, little girl. So long as I'm still breathing, I will keep fighting you! I will not lose to you! You, who defeated my sister before I got the chance...I will not lose to you!"

Shampoo watched as Meilin suddenly grabbed the gourd from her waist and yanked the cork out with her teeth. To Shampoo's surprise, Meilin filled her mouth with the liquid inside the gourd and spat a huge blast of fire directly at her. The Amazon rolled out of the fire's range, but not before her clothes and arms caught fire.

While Shampoo rolled along the ground to put the fire on her clothes out, Meilin ran over to her snake sword and ripped the hilt and first blade apart from the rest of the weapon. With her snake sword now essentially nothing more than a machete, Meilin rushed toward the preoccupied Shampoo.

With the fire finally out and her arms and clothes seared and smoking from Meilin's blast of fire, Shampoo raised her maces in the air to defend against Meilin's onslaught. Her maces were in a bad position though, and Meilin knew it. With one clean swipe from her machete, Meilin severed both of the maces at the top of their handles and kicked Shampoo in the chest, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"What's over?! Huh?!" Meilin yelled, raising the gourd to her mouth again.

Shampoo was angry at herself for leaving her weapons vulnerable like she had, but she didn't have the time to mull over it. With her maces now destroyed, Shampoo frantically reached into her pack to see what she had left. All that remained was one throwing knife. Knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge Meilin's next blast at this short distance, Shampoo had to think of some way to use her last knife to get her out of this dangerous situation.

As Meilin lowered the gourd from her mouth, Shampoo shot upward and kicked it into the air. Meilin was readying to spit another blast of fire when Shampoo's last knife split the gourd. The white-haired woman tried to stop herself when she saw the liquid splash in front of her, but a small flame that escaped from her mouth was all it took to ignite the liquid. Meilin dropped to the ground screaming as the liquid splashed her, engulfing her neck and cheek in flames.

Shampoo stood in stunned silence for a moment as she watched Meilin frantically trying to put out the fire on her throat. She didn't have time for pity right now though. She had to put an end to this battle and move ahead with her plan. With no weapons left at her disposal, Shampoo swung her foot at Meilin's head in an attempt to knock her out. Much to Shampoo's surprise, however, Meilin swung her machete upward and put a gash in her leg before her kick could connect.

The skin on her face and neck severely burned, Meilin was furious as she watched Shampoo jump back and grab hold of her now badly bleeding leg. "You...little...bitch!"

Shampoo was noticeably in pain as she grabbed at her leg and cringed. She'd never imagined that Meilin would cause her this much difficulty in this battle. She, admittedly, had turned out to be more tenacious than anyone she'd ever fought against. It seemed like no matter what Shampoo did, Meilin would keep coming after her until she was either unconscious or dead.

Meilin was angry as a hornet as she stood up and ran toward Shampoo with her machete in hand. Shampoo jumped back as Meilin swung at her again, several strands of her hair falling to the ground as the blade grazed them. Despite having badly damaged ribs and only one good arm, Meilin's attack speed wasn't decreasing.

The Amazon was left trying to think of some way to stop Meilin as she stayed out of range of her machete. Right now she was unarmed, and with Meilin's skillful use of her sword, sticking one of her limbs out could well result in losing it. Still, she couldn't afford to let Meilin walk out of this cavern. Not after what she'd done. Cologne had trained her to win in any situation, even one as challenging as this. There had to be some way to win.

"Is that all you can do is run?!" Meilin screamed at her.

Slowly, Shampoo closed her eyes and stood up. Taking a few breaths to calm herself down, she opened her eyes again and stared back at Meilin. "You come hit Shampoo if you can."

Meilin ground her teeth together and charged at Shampoo furiously. "You're taunting me now?!"

When Meilin swung her machete, Shampoo calmly stepped back and avoided it. Again Meilin swung at her and again Shampoo backed away, angling to her left ever so slightly. Undeterred by Shampoo's agility, Meilin continued to swing at her relentlessly. Again and again Shampoo dodged, moving back and slightly to her left.

Meilin began laughing as her swings came closer to making contact, one of them grazing Shampoo's cheek and shedding drops of blood on the ground. "This is fun! I wonder how long you think you can dodge me!"

As Meilin continued to swing, her machete came closer and closer to striking her opponent, while Shampoo's motions to her left were becoming increasingly sharper. To Meilin, it seemed like Shampoo was almost leading her in a circle as she desperately tried to dodge and wait for an opening. But Meilin wasn't going to give her that opening.

With one last swing coming only millimeters from her nose, Shampoo lost her balance and fell to one knee. Meilin looked down at her with a wicked smile and held her sword to Shampoo's throat. "It was a fun fight, Shampoo, but this is the end. Why don't you beg me for mercy? I want to see the pitiful look on your face..."

Meilin was expecting to see a look of fear in Shampoo's eyes, but instead what she saw was a look of confidence as Shampoo smiled up at her. "You right. This is end...for you."

The floor of the cavern began to tremble as Shampoo shot her fist up into the air. "Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

"W-what?!" Meilin yelled out. She couldn't do anything as a fierce cyclone of icy cold wind shot up from the ground and sent her flying out through the open top of the cavern and into the sky. She couldn't even cry out as her consciousness began to fade. Her last thought before her vision faded to black was one of bitterness and disappointment. It was the realization that she'd just played right into Shampoo's hands.

The cavern walls shook and pieces of rocks fell to the ground as Shampoo remained kneeling in a small crater on the cavern floor, her arm still hanging in the air from her upward thrust. Slowly, she let her arm fall to her side and panted heavily as she looked up into the sky through the top of the cavern. "Shampoo tell you she win, stupid girl..."

Battered, burned, and bloody, Shampoo slowly stood herself up and began walking out of the cavern. She'd finally overcome Meilin in an incredibly physical battle, but she had no intention of going back to where Jynn and Ringo were waiting. From the beginning, her intention was to finish off Meilin as quickly as possible and then head over to where Ranma was fighting. She knew Ranma wouldn't be happy if she tried to help him, but that was something she could make up to him later. The one thing she couldn't deal with was a life without Ranma if he was killed by Li.

Putting the pain running through her body in the back of her mind, Shampoo began trudging through the bone-covered ground in search of the battle between Ranma and Li.

* * *

**End of Chapter 10**


	11. Fight for your Lives!: Part II

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

With blood continuing to trickle from the wound in his chest, Li had a delighted look on his face as he stared over at Ranma. "I'm curious, how did you manage to learn Yousuke's Tiger Claw in such a short amount of time?"

"Who knows, guess I'm just that good," Ranma said in a cocky tone. "I'm surprised you knew I was tryin' to learn it though. You been spyin' on me this whole time?"

Li chuckled to himself and raised his hands in the air to signify his innocence. "Jynn accidentally let me in on it when he said where you'd gone. Try not to be too upset, he couldn't have known."

Ranma shrugged off Li's response as he took up a fighting stance. "I don't really care, man. Hurry up and take that scythe out so we can finish this already."

"So impatient. Don't you have any appreciation for the moment?" Li smiled. As Ranma had requested, the man with the ponytail removed the scythe from his back and held it out in front of him. "Let's see what you can do, Ranma."

With a loud cry, Li swung his scythe and sent a violet crescent of energy flying toward Ranma. Immediately invoking his Tiger Claw, Ranma's eyes changed into their yellow cat form once again. With his increased awareness he could see the crescent much more clearly than he had in his first encounter with Li. Letting his instincts take over, Ranma's fingers tore through the crescent the instant it came into his attack range.

Li's facial expression turned sour as he saw his crescent destroyed with a mere swipe from Ranma's hand. "This brings back unpleasant memories..."

"What's wrong? Don't tell me that's all ya got..." Ranma taunted.

Deciding to test just how far Ranma could take his new skill, Li unleashed two more crescents at him. Just as quickly as Li had sent them, Ranma tore them apart with two swipes of his hand. Li could see that trying to attack him like this was futile.

"Come on, Li, at least make me use both hands," Ranma laughed, motioning for Li to come at him as he let his Tiger Claw effect wear off.

Insults about his looks were one thing, but Li wasn't used to having his fighting ability called into question and he didn't appreciate it. Starting to become irritated, Li charged toward Ranma with his scythe at his side. He took a sharp swing at the pigtailed boy, but Ranma nimbly jumped into the air and avoided it. Li was about to jump at him, but he stopped when he saw a mass of yellow chi growing quickly in Ranma's palms.

"Now I know I can beat you, Li!" Ranma shouted, sending the mass of chi crashing down to Earth. "Moko Takabisha!"

Li gritted his teeth as the chi blast slammed him down onto his back. He had no idea of Ranma's ability to control his chi so well, otherwise he wouldn't have left himself in such a vulnerable position. Looking up into the sky, he could see that he had no time to relax as Ranma had already formed another chi mass in his hands and was rapidly falling toward him. Li jumped back out of harm's way as Ranma's Moko Takabisha exploded into the ground, but he soon realized Ranma was anticipating his move. Using his chi blast to boost himself forward, Ranma thrust his left leg at Li's ribs. Li barely blocked the kick with the steel handle of Yanlou. Showing his exceptional mid-air combat prowess, Ranma quickly contorted himself to smash his right leg into the side of Li's head, sending him flying to the ground as he landed safely a short distance away.

Li rubbed his hand against his cheek and looked up angrily as he got to his knees. "Moko...Takabisha, was it? You just keep surprising me..."

"Like I care! Just imagine how surprised you'll be when I beat you!" Ranma yelled, letting another mass of chi grow in his hands.

"Interesting. Let's see how it holds up against this!" Li yelled back, sending another energy crescent at him.

With his hands occupied by the Moko Takabisha, Ranma couldn't use his Tiger Claw to shred the incoming crescent. Instead, he let the violet energy slam into the mass of chi in his hands. The impact was enough to knock Ranma's arms back, but more importantly the crescent caused his Moko Takabisha to dissipate into nothing.

"Seems that attack is useless, after all!" Li shouted, sending three more of his energy crescents flying from his scythe as he ran toward his target.

"That's what you think!" Ranma snarled, invoking his Tiger Claw again and ripping through the crescents with his fingers. As he readied to use his Moko Takabisha again, Ranma noticed that the energy in his hands was growing at a much quicker rate than before. "H-huh?!"

Li skidded to a halt as he watched the mass of chi in Ranma's hands rapidly expand to three times the size it had been. "W-what is this...?"

"My Moko Takabisha...did my Tiger Claw make it like this?" Ranma wondered, grinning confidently at the perplexed Li. "Alright! Let's see how ya like this!"

Li swiped his scythe again, sending another crescent hurtling forward, but it was too little to have any effect now. The mass of chi swallowed the crescent up as if it were nothing. With a loud yell, Ranma sent the gigantic Moko Takabisha flying at Li. Mud, dead grass, and small bones scattered into the air as the chi blast tore up everything in its path. Holding his scythe out in front of him, Li cried out as he tried to stop the ferocious attack, but the energy rammed into him and drove him backward with unrelenting force until slamming him into a gigantic boulder that shattered upon impact, burying the dark-haired man in a pile of rocks.

Ranma, who had been knocked off his feet from the sheer force of releasing the super-sized Moko Takabisha, stood up and stared in amazement at the path of torn up ground leading to the mass of rubble where Li was buried. He wouldn't remain standing long, however, as his body began to feel very heavy and caused him to collapse to his knees.

"Guess that was...overdoin' it a little..." Ranma said to himself, breathing heavily. It was only natural that putting so much energy into one blast would wear him out, he figured. He knew it was something he couldn't do too often, otherwise he'd end up passing out in the middle of the battle.

There was a thunderous sound as the pile of rocks exploded outward with Li standing in the center, his arms outstretched and blood streaming down from a cut on his forehead. He was glaring furiously at Ranma, who felt somewhat confused about something he thought he'd just seen. The fact that Li was still in fighting shape wasn't a surprise to him, but he could've sworn that his scythe was colored black for a moment. Taking a closer look, Ranma could see that Yanlou was silver, just as it always had been. Shaking his head, he began to wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Li stormed out from the rubble and began speeding forward angrily with Yanlou in hand. "Ranma!!"

Still reeling from the energy that his last attack had cost him, Ranma quickly got to his feet and stood waiting for Li. Using his Moko Takabisha in this state would do more harm than good, he figured. He would just have to fight Li directly.

Ranma bobbed his head back as Li swung Yanlou at his throat, narrowly missing with the large blade. Li took another swing, but Ranma ducked underneath the scythe and managed to avoid any contact. Invoking his Tiger Claw again, Ranma swiped his fist against Yanlou's handle in an attempt to break the weapon. Sparks shot outward from the collision of his fingers and the scythe's shaft, but Ranma quickly realized the truth of what Yousuke had told him. Not only did Yanlou not break, it wasn't even scratched.

"I can't even break the handle?!" Ranma said, sounding uncharacteristically frustrated. As much energy as he felt running through his hands, he couldn't believe that a mere piece of metal could take a hit from him and still not be damaged. Like both Kirin and Yousuke had eluded to, this scythe wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination.

Li smirked as he swung his scythe downward, trying to cleave Ranma's body in half. As Ranma tried to jump back, the blade skimmed his cheek and drew it's first taste of blood in the fight. After moving a safe distance from his opponent, Ranma brought his arm against his face and wiped the blood away.

Ranma was about to move in to attack but, to his surprise, Li vanished right before his eyes. Unsure of what was happening, Ranma looked around to his left and right, but there was no sign of Li anywhere. It was only after he spotted a small glimmer out of the corner of his eye that he turned his head and saw Li bearing down on him from behind. With a wicked smile across his face, Li swung his scythe downward. Ranma frantically rolled forward to avoid the blade, but not before it put a small gash in the side of his neck. Spinning around immediately once he got his footing, Ranma groaned from the pain and held his hand against his neck.

Li began laughing as he looked over at his surprised opponent while holding two of his fingers slightly apart in front of him to demonstrate how narrowly Ranma had escaped. "You were this close to losing your head, Ranma..."

Ranma's eyes were open wide after the brush with death. Li had somehow gotten behind him without his noticing, and he had no idea how he'd pulled it off. "There's no way someone could move that fast..."

With Li's confidence growing, he ran forward and began slashing again. Ranma ducked and weaved out of the way of the first two attacks and then used his foot to kick off of the scythe and propel himself into the air when Li slashed a third time. Turning in the air, Ranma swung his foot at Li's head with full force but missed as Li turned his head to avoid the kick. With Ranma hanging in the air, Li swung his foot around and kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Seeing Li's scythe coming down at him from above, Ranma nimbly pushed himself off the ground and out of its range. As the blade of Yanlou struck the Earth, Ranma invoked his Tiger Claw again and quickly took the opportunity to swing forward at Li's unprotected face. Feeling confident that he'd caught Li this time, Ranma was shocked as he once again vanished before he could strike him.

"Again?!" Ranma yelled out, thrown off balance by his missed attack. He then cried out in pain as he suddenly felt something sharp dig into his back. Rolling forward and spinning around to see what had hit him, Ranma found Li smiling down at him again.

"You're lucky that was just one of my crescents, Ranma," Li said with a cold chuckle. "If that were Yanlou digging into your back, the damage would have been much worse. Actually, the next time I catch you, it might just be."

For Ranma, this fight was beginning to become downright dangerous. Li had just gotten behind him again, and he still had no idea how he'd done it. It was clear he wasn't going to get many more chances in this fight. If Li caught him one more time, that could be it. What he needed right now was some kind of plan. Unfortunately for him, Li didn't plan on giving him the time to think of one.

Closing in on Ranma, Li began swinging his scythe at him repeatedly, causing Ranma to jump back again and again as he evaded the deadly weapon. Ranma wasn't sure if it was because of Li or because of his own body beginning to wear down, but Li's slashes seemed to be getting quicker. He needed to think of a new way to attack, and fast. As Li continued his onslaught, Ranma quickly took several leaps back and got into an awkward crouching position. Li cautiously stopped himself from giving chase when Ranma began laughing confidently.

"What are you laughing about?" Li asked him.

"I didn't want to have to use this, but I guess I ain't got no choice," Ranma smiled, crossing his arms in front of him to further confuse his opponent. "Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts Special Technique...Fast Break!"

Li, who had been expecting Ranma to attack, was left standing with a puzzled look on his face when the pigtailed boy suddenly turned around and began running toward the muddy river in the distance. His confusion quickly turning to anger, Li began to give chase to the nimble Ranma. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Ranma turned around and stuck his tongue out to further entice Li to chase after him as he continued to run toward the river. There was a sound coming from that direction that had caught Ranma's interest earlier. If he'd heard what he thought he'd heard and he made his move just right, he could use it to his advantage, he thought to himself.

His aggravation with Ranma's attempt to escape growing, Li began swinging Yanlou and sending more energy crescents flying at his fleeing opponent. "You can't get away from me, Ranma! You're only wasting your energy!"

Ranma repeatedly ducked and jumped out of harm's way as Li's crescents caught up to him. Keeping a close eye on the violet bursts of energy as he ran, Ranma could see that he was fast approaching the river. But more importantly, Ranma could now tell that the sound of what appeared to be a waterfall was to his right. As he reached the riverbank, he hopped out of the way as one of Li's energy attacks crashed into the ground at his feet. As soon as he touched ground again, Ranma took a sharp right and began running as fast as he could alongside the river. As he expected, Li followed suit and continued his pursuit of him.

Ranma could tell that the waterfall wasn't very far away. Li, still following close behind, was now becoming aware of where Ranma might be headed. What he couldn't figure out was what exactly his motive was. Nonetheless, Li continued to unleash his energy crescents at Ranma as he ran.

As he continued to successfully avoid the crescents, Ranma was now able to see his target in front of him. A short distance away was a noticeable cliff where the flow of water stopped. Ranma wasn't sure just how high the waterfall was, but he could tell that it was probably very large judging by how distant the sound of the crashing water seemed. Once he reached the cliff next to the river, Ranma immediately stopped and spun around to confront Li.

"Nowhere else to run!" Li yelled as he ran over to where Ranma was standing. Reaching back as he neared, Li took a powerful swing with his scythe.

As the scythe's blade came at him, Ranma jumped up into the air, barely avoiding it. Li followed up by sending two energy crescents flying at the airborne Ranma, who ripped them both apart with his Tiger Claw attack. As Ranma began to fall back down to Earth, Li looked up at him with a dark smile across his face.

"It's over, Ranma!" Li yelled out, reaching his scythe back with the intent to slice Ranma in half once he got within reach.

Li swung Yanlou at Ranma's body with incredible force, but Ranma was prepared for it. Twisting his body so that he wouldn't be hit, Ranma avoided the scythe completely and landed directly in front of his opponent. Grabbing hold of Li's forearm as he landed, Ranma heaved him up off of the ground and flung him over the cliff. Li was so surprised at Ranma's ability to avoid his strike that he was caught completely off guard by the surprising move, but as he was falling he flung a thin, metal wire in Ranma's direction. Not expecting Li to have any kind of counter ready, Ranma didn't move his arm in time to keep the wire from wrapping around his wrist. Li smiled joyously as he yanked on the wire with all his might, causing Ranma to lose his balance and fall over the cliff along with him.

"Oh, crap!" Ranma yelled out. It felt like his heart skipped a beat as he and Li began hurtling toward the crashing water below. He didn't get a good look earlier, but he could now see that the cliff was somewhere in the area of 100 feet high. Unable to do anything as he watched a splash shoot up where Li fell into the river, Ranma braced for impact and slammed into the water.

Dazed from hitting at such a high speed, it took Ranma a moment to regain his senses before he began swimming to the surface to get some air. He took a large gasp as his head burst out from the slow-moving river that he now found himself floating down.

"Great, that totally backfired on me..." Ranma said, feeling annoyed as he continued gasping for air. If there was one positive thing, he figured, it was that he didn't have to worry about changing into a girl in this kind of situation anymore.

After taking a few more breaths and calming down a bit, Ranma began swimming to shore so he could figure out what happened to Li. Unfortunately, he didn't make it very far. After swimming for only a couple of seconds, he felt himself being pulled down into the river again. Now completely submerged, he quickly looked down and saw that Li had his hand grasped tightly around his ankle while the other one held onto Yanlou.

With a strong tug, Li pulled Ranma down even further and let go of his ankle. With his arm free, Li wrapped it around Ranma's neck and locked him in a choke from behind in an attempt to drown him. Ranma tried to pry Li's arm off of him, but his grip was too strong to budge. He then tried elbowing him in the chest to get him off of his back, but the blows weren't doing enough damage to hurt him since the water was keeping Ranma from hitting at full force. Beginning to run out of both ideas and oxygen, Ranma again invoked his Tiger Claw. He gave Li another powerful elbow to his abdomen, this one hitting hard enough that Li loosened his hold on him slightly. Managing to spin around with Li's grip loosened, Ranma ferociously swiped his right hand across the length of Li's chest. Bubbles of air escaped from Li's mouth as he cried out in pain from the skin on his chest being torn apart from Ranma's attack. With blood beginning to seep from his wound and mix with the water, he and Ranma both started swimming toward the surface.

Ranma reached the surface first and began gasping for air as Li's head then popped out from the water. About 15 feet away from each other, Ranma and Li both began swimming to the riverbank without so much as a glance toward one another. Once the two of them made it to shore, Ranma could see how much damage his underwater attack had caused.

Still on his knees as he tried to deal with the horrible pain, Li had four deep gashes running from his shoulder all the way down to his waist. His breathing was erratic as he ripped off what was left of his torn up shirt and flung it aside, his chest continuing to bleed profusely.

While Ranma watched Li agonize in pain, he unbuttoned his wet shirt and tossed it aside as well. Fighting shirtless was a lot more comfortable for him than fighting with the soaked shirt on. "Ain't this enough, Li? You can't keep fightin' with a wound that bad. That has to hurt like hell..."

To Ranma's surprise, Li slowly began to make his way to his feet. Raising his head, he scowled at Ranma while his scythe shook uncontrollably in his hand. "You...you think this is bad?! This pain is nothing! You have no idea what pain is!!"

Ranma's eyes widened as something inexplicable began to take place before him. The blade of Yanlou was suddenly swallowed up by darkness and changed color from silver to pitch black. It was exactly the same as he thought he'd seen earlier, but it went further this time. The darkness ran down the handle of the scythe, turning the entire weapon black, and then began to move across Li's body. Li's expression was one of intense anger as a strange, black crystal armor began to form on his limbs. The black crystal covered his arms, legs, and torso while still leaving the joints exposed so that Li could move freely.

As the crystal began to envelop his throat, cheeks, and forehead, Li smiled crazily over at Ranma. "You want to know what pain is, Ranma?! I'll show you what pain is!!"

* * *

Back at the crossroads where Ranma and Shampoo had split up earlier, Ringo was pacing back and forth nervously as she waited for her comrades to return. "Ohh, I'm so worried about them. I wish I knew what was going on..."

"Your worrying isn't going to change anything, so just settle down and wait patiently," Jynn said to her, somewhat annoyed with her inability to sit still.

"I know, but still, they're taking an awfully long time.." Ringo replied.

Although not as nervous as Ringo, Jynn was also curious as to what was going on. He and Ringo had both seen the tornado coming from Shampoo and Meilin's battle site and heard the loud noises coming from where Ranma and Li were fighting, but they had no way of knowing what was going on.

"Someone will show up eventually. We just have to be calm and wait," Jynn said. Much to his irritation, Ringo ignored him and continued pacing back and forth impatiently.

Not far from where they were and unable to run due to the combination of pain from her injuries and her exhaustion, Shampoo was moving as quickly as she could manage down the path that Ranma had taken earlier. Once she reached the top of the hill near the end of the path, she looked down at the clearing with the rock in the middle that Ranma had found Li sitting on earlier. As she surveyed the area, Shampoo saw no sign of either Li or Ranma.

"Where they go?" Shampoo asked herself as she continued looking around, walking along the path until she reached the large rock. As she leaned up against it to take a short rest, she began to notice the torn up earth all along the area between herself and the river off in the distance. Seeing that the battle had likely moved in that direction, she pushed herself away from the rock and began moving toward the river in search of Ranma's fight.

* * *

Ranma was speechless as he continued to stare in awe at Li's transformation. With almost his entire body covered in black crystal and a psychotic expression on his face, he looked more like a demon than a human.

Li began to laugh maniacally as he reached behind his head and tore off the band that held his ponytail together, letting his long, dark hair flow freely down past his shoulders. "This feels wonderful! I can't remember the last time I felt so good!"

The calm, collected Li that Ranma was used to seeing was not the same person standing before him. This was surely what Kirin meant by Yanlou awakening, he thought to himself. If that was truly the case, he knew he needed to be extremely careful from this point forward.

Without warning, Li sped forward and slugged Ranma in the face with his right fist. The blow dazed Ranma, who couldn't believe that Li was still able to move so well after the damage he'd just inflicted on him. The crazed Li began swinging his scythe relentlessly, forcing Ranma to duck and weave to avoid being cut into pieces. When Ranma ducked his last swing, Li swung his foot up and kicked him in the chin, knocking him back and to the ground. Getting up as quickly as he could, Ranma shot up and swiped Li's chest with his Tiger Claw again. Small fragments of crystal fell to the ground as Ranma's swipe managed to put four gashes in the armor, but surprisingly he wasn't able to break through it.

"Too bad!" Li screamed, thrusting his scythe downward with a fury.

Ranma screamed in pain as the scythe sliced into his chest. He collapsed to the bone-covered ground writhing in agony as he held his hands against his badly bleeding chest.

Li laughed joyously as he held Yanlou over his head again. "How's that for a wound, Ranma?! Huh?! How's that for pain?!"

In a move of desperation, Ranma shot his hand up from the ground and dug it into Li's unprotected knee. Li's eyes widened as his knee buckled and he fell to a kneeling position, his knee cap shattered by the force of Ranma's Tiger Claw.

"What's this?! Huh?! You think this will stop me?!" Li yelled, still smiling sadistically as he looked down at Ranma. There was no doubt in Ranma's mind anymore about how Li was able to move. For him to not even flinch when his kneecap was shattered had to mean that Yanlou was keeping him from feeling pain.

Ranma grimaced as he slowly made his way to his feet, still trying to overcome the pain in his chest while glaring at Li. "Wake up, will ya?! You're lettin' that thing control you, Li!"

"I know, isn't it great?!" Li replied, laughing. "With Yanlou's power inside me, I'm invincible!"

"Why don't you fight me with your own strength, you coward?!" Ranma snarled back at him.

Li continued laughing hysterically at his wounded opponent. "My own strength?! You've mistaken me for someone with pride! I don't fight and kill for respect, Ranma! I fight and kill...because it's fun!"

Ranma watched as Li stretched one arm out in front of himself and turned the palm of his hand upward. In his palm, a cluster of five spheres of light formed and began to rise into the air. With a quick flick of his wrist, the spheres rose up above him, moved over to the area above Ranma, and then shot apart into five different directions and fell to the ground, leaving small holes where each of them entered the earth. It didn't seem to be an attack, Ranma thought, but he couldn't figure out what other purpose the spheres would serve.

"You look a bit worried, Ranma," Li said with a grin. "Trying to figure out what I just did? I won't keep you waiting then..."

Right before Ranma's eyes, Li vanished once again. "W-what the..?"

Ranma cried out as he again felt an incredibly sharp pain in his back. Still shaking from the rush of pain, he managed to turn around to see what had happened. There, right above where one of the light spheres had fallen, stood Li with that same crazy smile on his face. He'd made another direct hit with one of his energy crescents right into Ranma's upper back.

Before Ranma had time to make a move, Li disappeared once again. Ranma wasn't sure how Li was doing it, but he was starting to catch on. Immediately after Li disappeared again, Ranma began looking around him to see if another attack was coming. Sure enough, as Ranma looked to his right another energy crescent was closing in on him fast. Quickly invoking his Tiger Claw again, Ranma tore through the crescent just before it hit. He barely had time to notice that Li wasn't in the direction that the last crescent had come from when he felt another one slicing into him. Ranma screamed as he felt the crescent hit his lower back this time. Li had sent one at Ranma from one direction, disappeared, and then unleashed another from the opposite direction somehow. Ranma turned around and leered at him again, starting to have some difficulty standing up because of the severe pain in both his chest and back.

"H-how in the hell did you do that?!" Ranma snarled.

"What's wrong?! Did you forget about my Shift technique already, Ranma?!" Li grinned wildly.

"Shift technique?!" Ranma asked in confusion. "But that took so much time to use..."

"Idiot!" Li laughed. "How much time it takes is relative to the distance I need to travel. Here, I've placed transfer points in the ground all around you and I don't have very far to go, so my movement is almost instantaneous."

Ranma was beginning to understand everything now. Those spheres of light were the transfer points he was talking about. When Li was disappearing earlier in their battle, he'd probably placed those spheres in the ground when Ranma wasn't looking.

"My Shift technique can be very useful in battle at times such as these. You should feel honored that you get to see such an invincible form of attack," Li said with a smirk.

"Well, I don't!" Ranma snapped. "Just watch, I'll find a way around your so-called invincible attack!"

Without a word, Li let another five spheres form in his hand and scattered them around Ranma before vanishing again. He began quickly shifting to each point in turn around the pigtailed boy, sending an energy crescent his way at each one. Trying to ignore the pain in his body, Ranma immediately resumed the use of his Tiger Claw and began slicing away at each of the crescents as they reached him. Ranma was turning around in a clockwise motion as he destroyed each of the attacks that was sent his way, but after one revolution Li sent another five spheres out and changed tactics, beginning to shift to the points in a random order. Caught off guard because of his decreasing awareness from the blood loss, Ranma's right thigh was struck directly with one of the crescents. Making an extraordinary effort to keep his focus despite the pain, Ranma reacted swiftly and was able to destroy the rest of the crescents that came after it.

"Not bad, but how long can you keep up?!" Li yelled as he watched Ranma fall to a knee and grab his leg. "All that blood loss can't be good for you! It's only a matter of time before a crescent catches your throat!"

Ranma didn't answer as he stared down Li, his determination evident in his eyes. He'd allowed Li to get in some attacks that slowed him down and put him at a disadvantage, but from seeing him use his attack three times now, he'd picked up on something. Li sent out five spheres every time he used his attack and he only moved to each point once. The number really didn't mean anything, but if he could only use each point once then Ranma could predict where he would appear last, he thought. In other words, once he'd appeared four times, there would only be one place left that he could appear at.

"A-again..." Ranma muttered.

"Excuse me?" Li asked him.

"Do your stupid attack again, jerk!" Ranma yelled at him.

More than willing to inflict further pain on Ranma, Li tossed five more spheres around him and vanished once again. Swinging around as Li appeared at his back as he'd predicted, Ranma destroyed the first crescent and watched Li vanish. He again spun around as Li appeared to his back and right this time and destroyed the second crescent. On the third shift, Li appeared to his left. Again, Ranma successfully slashed through the crescent and turned around. As Li appeared again and sent a fourth crescent flying, Ranma ignored it and rushed toward the only hole in the ground where Li hadn't appeared yet.

With Li's fourth crescent tearing into his left leg, Ranma reached his arm back and slashed at him as he appeared exactly where he'd predicted. "Eat this!"

Unfortunately, Li had caught onto Ranma's attack and was about to counter with his scythe, but something in the distance caught his attention. With a frantic look on his face, Li sent an energy crescent flying to Ranma's right and froze up as he took Ranma's Tiger Claw full force to his shoulder. Li slammed into the wall of the cliff next to the waterfall with a thud as his shoulder bled profusely, leaving a perplexed Ranma wondering what exactly had just happened. It was obvious to him that Li had seen through his attack, so why had he missed him so badly?

"Not this time!" Li yelled, laughing maniacally again as he stared to Ranma's side.

As he turned around to see what Li was looking at, Ranma witnessed a sight that would be burned into his memory forever. There, unmoving and with blood splattered all over her chest, was Shampoo. Ranma's eyes grew wide with disbelief as he realized that Li's stray energy crescent had torn into the area right beneath her throat. With an almost inaudible cry, Shampoo collapsed to the ground as Ranma continued to look on in horror.

"Interesting thing I found out about that Shadow Bind, if she catches someone in it then she can't move for a certain amount of time either!" Li laughed. "I let that crescent go and once she caught me there was nothing she could do! She just stood there and waited for it to slash her! Hahahah!"

Ranma was completely silent as he fell to his knees, staring at Shampoo's bloodied body in shock.

* * *

Ringo let out a gasp and stopped pacing as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart.

"What's wrong?" Jynn asked her.

"Ran...ma..." Ringo stammered. "Ranma...he's...in pain..."

"In pain? How would you know?" Jynn asked curiously.

"I-I need to go to him..." Ringo said frantically. She then took off running with all her might toward the base of the waterfall.

"H-hey! Wait a minute! Where do you think you're going?!" Jynn yelled out. "What is with this girl?"

Spurred on by his curiosity, Jynn ran after Ringo to see just what it was that had her so flustered.

* * *

"Come on, Ranma, you look so pathetic!" Li said as he continued laughing. "Where's all that fire that you had in you earlier?!"

Ranma didn't say a word, nor did he move an inch.

"That's your problem, Ranma. You're weak because you allow yourself to become attached to people like her," Li said to him. "If you'd have ditched that Amazon girl and focused on training yourself, you wouldn't be in so much pain right now!"

Slowly, Ranma finally began to stand up, still facing away from Li.

"Oh, ready to continue the fight now, are we?!" Li yelled at him. But Li couldn't help feeling a slight pang of fear as Ranma turned around, his eyes glowing yellow and his Tiger Claw in full effect. Ranma's hands were pressed close to each other down near his waist, and Li watched with surprise as an enormous mass of energy began to gather in them.

The energy in Ranma's hands grew so large that it couldn't be contained any longer as Ranma kept Li dead in his sights. "You...you're gonna wish you'd never done that! Shishi Hokodan!!"

Out of nowhere, Ranma unleashed a torrential blast of energy at Li, who wasn't prepared at all for such a high level attack. Li cried out as the blast of energy swept him off his feet and smashed him into the wall of rock. Not wasting any time, Ranma charged at blinding speed toward Li, who couldn't break free from his rock imprisonment despite his efforts. As Ranma neared the wall, he reached both of his arms back and began unleashing a flurry of attacks.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!!" Ranma yelled out, striking Li with an endless series of blows all over his body. This wasn't his usual series of punches though. He was using it in combination with his Tiger Claw to dig into Li's chest armor like a pick axe to ice. With shards of Li's armor flying everywhere, Ranma continued punching as if he were possessed, now in a state of blind rage after witnessing what Li had done to Shampoo. Ranma landed nearly five hundred strikes before stopping and jumping back several meters.

For the first time, Li was beginning to sense that he was in serious trouble. Even with Yanlou restricting his pain, he could tell that his body wasn't right after Ranma's torrent of punches. The thick crystal armor on his chest had been reduced to an extremely thin layer compared to what it was before, and Li had a frightened look on his face as he looked up and saw that Ranma once again had a mass of energy forming between his hands.

"Shishi Hokodan!!!" Ranma screamed out once more as he sent another enormous blast of energy at his enemy. Li yelled loudly as the vicious attack struck him and shattered the wall of rock, driving him even deeper into it. After a couple of seconds, Ranma's energy blast dissipated, leaving Li at the center of a massive crater in the wall.

Li's consciousness was fading, but he was aware enough to see that Ranma was once again rushing toward him to continue his assault. With what strength he had left, he tried desperately to break free of his rock imprisonment.

"I'll never allow myself to be defeated by the likes of you, Ranma! You hear me?!!" Li yelled out with all his might. He tried to raise Yanlou up to attack, but his arm simply fell back down to his side. Li looked at Yanlou in disbelief as the crystal armor on his body crumbled to the ground and the scythe's blade changed back to its silver color. "Why, Yanlou?! Why?!"

Li looked forward and watched in terror as Ranma reached back for another attack. His eyes filled with rage and lit with that yellow glow that Li had come to fear, Ranma drove his fist into Li's chest and directly through his heart.

With one strike, all the pain that Li had endured in his life came to an end. For once, he felt like he was free from everything. As his vision faded to black and he thought back on his life, there was one bright memory that stood out in his mind. Of course, he'd made comrades in Meilin and Jynn that he'd traveled with for so long, but he'd also made a true friend at one point. It was a shame things turned out like this, he thought. He would've liked to have seen him just one more time. "Ki...rin..."

As Li's heart beat for the last time, Ranma began to snap out of his rage and realize what he'd done. He began trembling as he looked down at his arm, the front half now sticking out from Li's back. As he removed it, Li's lifeless body remained in the wall of rock, his scythe falling from his hand to the ground. Ranma fell to his knees and slowly raised his blood-covered hand to his face, shaking uncontrollably as he stared at it.

"Wh-what...what've I done?" Ranma said in shock.

There wasn't any time to worry about what he'd just done though. He needed to get to Shampoo, and fast. But as Ranma turned toward where she was and began to stand, he accidentally placed his hand on Yanlou. Feeling something start to enter his body, he immediately grabbed his head and began screaming. Closing his eyes, he picked the scythe up and began swinging it around blindly, sending energy crescents flying everywhere.

"Get...out...of...my...head!!" Ranma screamed. As his energy attacks began slicing into the ground and rocks around him, Ranma let out one last cry and vanished into thin air.

"Over here! I know I just heard him!" Ringo yelled out.

As Ringo and Jynn came upon the area that Ranma had just disappeared from, Ringo was horrified at what she saw. She let out a scream as she saw a bloodied Shampoo sprawled out on the ground and ran over to her. "No! Shampoo, say something!"

"What is Shampoo doing over here?" Jynn asked as he surveyed the area some more. Beneath his mask, Jynn's face went pale as he saw Li's body embedded in the cliff next to the waterfall. As he ran over to him, Jynn saw the large amount of blood scattered about and the hole in Li's chest from Ranma's last attack. He dropped to his knees in disbelief as he looked up at his associate's body.

"This can't be real..." Jynn said softly to himself. "Li...how could this have happened...?"

"Jynn, come over here! She's still alive! We need to get her help, now!!" Ringo cried out, tears streaming down her face.

Jynn was snapped out of his shock by the familiar voice crying out to him. He was feeling a great deal of grief right now, but he knew there was nothing he could do for Li. "I'll come back and give you a proper burial, I promise!"

Reluctantly leaving Li's body behind, Jynn ran over to where Ringo and Shampoo were and used his Shift technique to take them elsewhere. Once the three of them had vanished, all that remained of the battle were the torn up ground, shattered rocks, blood stains, and the body of the exiled member of the Seven Lucky Gods Martial Artists, the warrior known as Li.

* * *

**End of Chapter 11**


	12. Searching

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_,_ Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The scene around the Nerima Ward of Tokyo was one of a winter wonderland as snow continued to fall gently from the sky. Numerous snowstorms had come to the area during this winter season, which began earlier than people were accustomed to. People had been wandering outdoors wearing heavy coats, scarves, mittens, and boots for so many days now that it made their anticipation of the upcoming spring that much greater than usual.

Among the buildings now adorned with a snow-covered roof were the Tendo home and dojo. As they watched the snowflakes fall to the ground, two middle-aged men sat facing the garden, a bottle of saké between them and each with a small glass in hand. They both turned their heads as they heard the sound of the front door opening behind them.

"We're home!" a female voice announced.

"Oh, welcome home, Akane. This is quite the snowfall we're having, isn't it?" Soun said to her.

"Yeah, it's really coming down," Akane replied, then turning her attention back to the entrance. "Come on, you, hurry up and get your boots off. We've got to study for that math test tomorrow."

Akane's red-headed friend pouted as she removed her winter gear. "Ohh, I'm not looking forward to that at all."

"What's the matter, Ringo? You sound tired," Genma asked her.

"I'm a little worn out, Father, that's all," Ringo replied with a sigh. "Kodachi came to school and attacked me again today. She just can't seem to let go of whatever it is that bothers her about me."

"Sorry, Ringo, but like I've said, you might as well get used to it. Once that girl gets something in her mind, she doesn't let up," Akane told her.

Genma nodded knowingly at Akane's evaluation. "That's how it's always been with her. Her brother isn't still bothering you, is he?"

"Oh, not at all. He seems much more taken by Akane now," Ringo said, sounding very thankful.

Akane cringed as she thought about Upperclassman Kuno's recent displays of affection for her. "Don't remind me. Anyway, we need to get to studying. Come on, Ringo."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Ringo said, following Akane up to her bedroom. "Call us when it's time for dinner, Father!"

"Okay, don't overwork yourselves now," Genma smiled. After Ringo had disappeared from sight, Genma looked back out at the koi pond and hung his head.

"What's the matter, Saotome?" Soun asked, taking another sip of saké.

"Oh, just the same thing that's been the matter for the last five months I suppose," Genma replied.

Soun turned and gazed off into the distance as he thought about how much time had passed. "Has it been that long already?"

"Yeah, hard to believe," Genma said, taking another sip from his glass. "Things sure have been quiet around here since then."

"It's been peaceful, but somehow it's sad, isn't it?" Soun asked.

Genma nodded in reply. "The Cat Café's still closed since the old woman and that Mousse boy left. The Master left since he was so bored without Ranma around. We haven't seen that Ryouga around either. There sure was some commotion when Ringo first came here though."

Soun couldn't help but laugh a bit at the memory. "I still remember how shocked we all were to see her standing there with the masked fellow that day..."

* * *

Five months have passed since the day Ranma and Shampoo fought against Li and Meilin. Three days after the battles, the scene around the Nerima Ward was much different than it is now. It was still summer, and the heat was giving everyone a beating with only a couple of weeks left before the new school term started at Furinkan High. Everyone was awaiting the return of Ranma and Shampoo, but they were all beginning to worry after having not heard anything yet about what had happened. Nonetheless, life was proceeding as usual for everyone that morning, including the Tendo family. Akane had gone out for her morning jog, Nabiki was sleeping in, Genma and Soun had sparred with each other in the dojo, and Kasumi was cooking breakfast.

After Akane returned from her jog, she grabbed P-Chan and joined everyone at the table for breakfast, including the half-asleep Nabiki who'd just stumbled down the stairs. Everyone ate cheerfully together, trying to act as if everything was normal. This day, however, would be a day truly different from the rest. As they continued to eat, everyone was surprised to hear a male voice yelling from their front door.

"Excuse me, is anyone home?!"

"I wonder who that could be so early in the morning," Kasumi said as she stood up and walked to the entrance. When she opened the door, she saw before her a somewhat tall man wearing a loose-fitting garment much like that of Mousse. He had long, black hair and a mask on his face that had a noticeable crack on the right cheek area.

"Hello," the man said to Kasumi. "This would be the Tendo residence, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. Who might you be?" Kasumi asked him.

"My name is Jynn. I believe you're already familiar with this girl behind me," he said.

When Jynn stepped to the side, Kasumi let out a gasp as she saw Ringo standing behind him. "Father, everyone, come quickly!"

"What?! What's going on?!" Soun exclaimed as he and the others ran to the entrance. Their mouths all dropped in surprise when they saw Ringo standing at the entrance.

"Umm...hello," Ringo said bashfully, looking down at the ground. She'd barely finished her greeting when Genma stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.

"Ranma! You're back!" he cried out.

Jynn cleared his throat as he looked toward Ranma's father. "Actually, this person is not Ranma."

Akane had tears of joy in her eyes as she looked at the redheaded girl. "What are you talking about? It's really Ranma...he's back..."

"It's a long story, but this is Ranma's female half, Ringo," Jynn explained to them.

Genma loosened his grip on Ringo and looked at her as he tried to understand this. "What's he talking about?"

"I'm sorry, but he's telling the truth. I'm not Ranma," Ringo replied sadly.

Genma and everyone else looked at her in confusion, not quite knowing what to think.

"I'm sure you're all confused about this, but there's a lot more to explain. If you don't mind, would you contact everyone associated with Ranma and Shampoo and ask them to come here? I don't want to have to repeat everything that happened," Jynn said to them.

A concerned Akane suddenly grabbed Jynn's robe by the throat area and pulled him closer. "If...if this isn't Ranma, then where is he...?"

Jynn calmly pulled Akane's hands off of his robe and stared down at her through his mask. "We don't know..."

"What?!" Akane screamed.

"Now calm down, Akane!" Soun said, holding her back. "I'm sure this man will explain everything to us. Please, come inside, both of you. We'll invite everyone here as you've asked."

* * *

Thirty minutes and a handful of telephone calls later, a large group had gathered inside the Tendo home. In addition to those already living there were Ukyou, Cologne, Mousse, and Ryouga, who had run upstairs to the bathroom and changed back to his human form as soon as Jynn showed up. Nobody knew where Happosai was at the moment, but they weren't particularly concerned about the lack of his presence.

Everyone looked toward the entrance as an exhausted Sasuke led Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno into the house. Sasuke had brought them on their rickshaw as soon as they'd received the call from Kasumi, and needless to say they didn't give him a chance to rest. Tatewaki was enraged when he walked in and saw the shy Ringo staying close to Jynn.

"You there! What have you done to the pigtailed girl?!" he yelled, pointing his wooden sword at Jynn.

"I did nothing to her. Calm down," Jynn said calmly as he sat against the wall.

Kodachi immediately snapped her ribbon in front of herself and shot Ringo an angry glare. "Who cares about this girl?! Tell me where my Ranma darling is!"

"Hey, Mousse, don't you think that guy looks a lot like you?" Ryouga said, nudging the male Amazon.

Mousse didn't say a word as he stared a hole through Jynn.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Ryouga asked him.

"Nothing," Mousse replied sternly.

Kasumi looked around for a moment before turning her attention back to Jynn. "I think this is everyone, Mr. Jynn."

"I'll start explaining then," Jynn said as he stood up. "Everyone, my name is Jynn. I was a guide to Ranma and Shampoo during their training, and also an associate of their opponents."

Ukyou started to reach for the large spatula on her back when she heard that last line from Jynn's mouth. "Then you were one of the enemies?!"

"I was never their enemy, just a guide. If you would, please let me finish this story and you'll understand everything," Jynn said to her.

And so, from the incident with Ringo being separated from Ranma to the battle a month later, Jynn explained everything that had taken place to the group. Everyone listened intently to his explanation from the start until the painful finish.

"And that's the current situation," Jynn said as he wrapped up his tale. "I...felt like it was my responsibility to let all of their friends know what happened."

Kodachi and Ukyou both had tears streaming down their faces at the news, and Akane was fighting to keep from doing the same. Everyone else was quiet and seemed very deep in thought, trying to take in what they'd just learned.

"Do you...think Ranma's still alive?" Ryouga asked Jynn.

"It's difficult to say," Jynn replied. "The fact that he was nowhere near the battle scene would make you think so, but I doubt anyone could escape a fight against Li without serious injuries. Even if he did manage to walk away from the fight, he may have since died from his wounds. But like I said, there's really no way of knowing until we find him."

Ryouga clenched his fists tightly in frustration. "So...what happens now?"

Jynn turned and looked out into the garden, taking a moment to think about his answer. "I'm going back to China to look for him. As for Ringo, she's a part of Ranma, and thus is a part of the Saotome family, and she's also very timid and has no desire to fight. Because of this, that Aroma woman thought it would be best that Ringo stay here and attend school, leading a normal life. Would that be acceptable?"

"O-oh, of course! We'd be happy to have her stay with us," Soun quickly replied. "After all, you could say she's Saotome's daughter. I don't see any problem with her living here."

"Ooh, fun! We get another interesting guest to live with," Nabiki smiled.

"D-daughter, huh?" Genma stammered, looking over at Ringo. "Well that works perfectly! You can marry a rich man and we can live the rest of our lives without worry! Hahaha!"

Genma's laughter was interrupted as half a dozen fists smashed him on the back of the head, knocking him face first into the floor.

"Must you always think of your own good like that, Saotome?!" Soun fumed.

"Honestly, you're hopeless!" Akane yelled, trying to suppress her tears over Ranma's situation as she walked over to the bashful redhead. "Hi, I'm Akane."

"Oh, I already know who everyone is," Ringo laughed nervously.

Akane wasn't sure how she knew everyone, but she didn't really care at the moment. "Okay. Well, let's be friends from now on, 'kay?"

"Y-yes, that would be nice," Ringo said with a cheerful smile.

"So, the pigtailed girl has been freed from that evil Saotome's dark magic at last," Tatewaki Kuno said as he walked over to Ringo. "Greetings, pigtailed girl. As you know, my name is Tatewaki Kuno, often called the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. Would you be so kind as to date with me?"

"Umm...I really think it's too early to be dating anyone, Mr. Kuno," Ringo said nervously. "Maybe some other time."

Kuno couldn't help but stare in awe at Ringo. "Such an...unusually peaceful response..."

"Wh-what's the matter, Master Kuno?" Sasuke asked, watching as his master sat on the floor and crossed his arms.

"I feel...deeply confused. Is this...disappointment I'm feeling, I wonder?" he said.

"Oh, be quiet, Brother!" Kodachi suddenly snapped as she turned to Ringo. "So, you think you can just come here and take my darling Ranma's place, do you?! Well you're mistaken, you evil hussie!"

Before she could act, Kodachi was struck in the face by Ukyou's spatula and flew through the air and into the koi pond.

"Settle down! She hasn't done anything to you! I don't like the fact that Ranma-honey's gone either, but you can't just take it out on an innocent girl!" Ukyou yelled out before walking over to Ringo. "Hi, I'm Ukyou, but you probably know that already, huh? You and me are friends from now on. Okay?"

Ringo nodded happily. "Sure!"

"M-mistress Kuno!" Sasuke yelled out, rushing to the koi pond to tend to Kodachi.

Cologne rubbed her head as the tempers began to subside. She'd already made a mental note to interrogate Aroma about Ringo's existence the next time she saw her, but for now there were more pressing matters. "Well, things certainly have taken a turn for the worse, haven't they. Jynn, was it? Did that Li person teach you his Shift technique?"

Jynn was a bit surprised by the question. "You know about that technique?"

"I only heard from Akane here that she'd seen Li doing something of the sort, that's all," she replied.

"I see," Jynn said. "Yes, I can use it. Why do you ask?"

"If you plan on going back to China, please wait until tomorrow. Given the current state of things, I would like to return with you," Cologne said to him. "You can stay at my restaurant for the night."

Jynn had to mull over the request for a moment before answering her. "I suppose I could wait a bit longer, if it's for you. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Hey, why are you so determined to find Ranma?" Ryouga suddenly asked Jynn. "Are you going to try to kill him for what he did to this Li guy?"

Everyone turned and shot Jynn a sharp look as he looked over at Ryouga. Considering Jynn's past affiliations, they all found it to be a legitimate concern.

"I have no intention of killing him. I only want to retrieve something he took from Li," Jynn replied. "Any other questions?"

Everyone stood in silence, unable to think of anything else to ask the masked man about the predicament.

"Well then, since there's nothing left to discuss here, I need to prepare to leave tomorrow. Jynn, please follow me," Cologne directed him.

As Jynn began walking behind Cologne, Ringo ran over and grabbed him by the sleeve. "Jynn...please, bring him back here?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll do everything I can to find him," Jynn assured her. "You just focus on your new life here."

Ringo nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you..."

Jynn then followed Cologne out of the Tendo home with an unusually tense Mousse following right behind them.

While some of the others filed out of the house, Ukyou walked over to Akane and began whispering in her ear. "You think we should go to China with them?"

Akane had already been thinking about it, as concerned as she was for Ranma right now. But in the end, she figured, going to China wouldn't do them any good. "I...I think we should just stay here."

"What? Why?" Ukyou asked curiously.

"If he's alive, he'll come back here. Don't you think?" Akane replied. "Besides, it would be tough for Ringo without any friends here at first if we left..."

Ukyou looked over at Ringo, who was chatting with Genma at the moment. "I guess you've got a point. Once Ranma-honey comes to his senses, he'll be sure to get his fanny back here. I just know he will.."

* * *

Once Cologne, Jynn and Mousse had gotten a good distance from the Tendo home, Jynn stopped and turned toward Mousse.

"You've been staring at me ever since you first saw me. Something wrong?" Jynn asked him.

"You know exactly why I'm staring at you," Mousse snarled as he came to a stop. "Why don't you take that mask off, Perm?!"

Cologne's eyes opened wide with surprise when she heard Mousse mention the name. "Perm? You couldn't be that person..."

Jynn started chuckling to himself beneath his mask. "Guess I couldn't fool you, could I? You've grown a bit since I last saw you, old friend."

"Shut up! I always wondered where you went, and then I find out you've been working with slime like those two that almost killed Shampoo?!" Mousse yelled at him.

"So, it is you, Perm," Cologne said angrily. "The prodigy of that male Amazon village, and the one who was to marry Shampoo as a sign of goodwill amongst our tribes. It was the day before the wedding when you vanished and were never heard from again. Our village was absolutely enraged over your disappearance. Do you have any idea the trouble you caused?! We almost went to war over that incident!"

"Which is why I'm giving you a free trip home tomorrow," Jynn said to her. "I'm well aware that I caused you a lot of trouble, but believe me when I say I didn't mean for any of that to happen."

Cologne was trying with all her might to keep from attacking the man. "Why did you leave? Tell me this instant."

"I left because I didn't want to be tied down to anyone," Jynn replied. "Not to my would-be wife, not to my village, and not to the Amazon community. Like you said, I was a prodigy. I could beat anyone in that village, and I was still young. I wanted to go out and find stronger people to fight. But more than that, every day I could see the pained look on Mousse's face after he heard of the arranged marriage. If I would have married Shampoo, he would have loathed me for the rest of my life. That wasn't something I wanted to live with, so on the night before the wedding I challenged him to a duel for the right to marry Shampoo."

"And?" Cologne asked.

"I won," Mousse said. "I wasn't even sure how I did it at first, but I eventually figured it out. You let me win, didn't you, Perm?"

Jynn raised his arm up and pulled his mask off, revealing the face of someone who looked to be in his early twenties. His features were similar to that of Mousse, only his face looked older, he didn't wear glasses, and, most notably, he had a large scar that started on his forehead and continued down across his nose and onto his left cheek. Mousse had an uncomfortable look on his face as he stared at the scar.

"You got me pretty good back then," Jynn said, tossing his mask to the ground. "I guess I don't need that thing anymore..."

"You lost on purpose, just so you could leave..." Mousse said to him.

Jynn couldn't deny his old friend's accusation. "I wanted to live my own life free from that village, and I wanted you to be able to marry the girl you loved. But it seems despite my leaving, she never did allow you into her heart, did she, Mousse?"

"I was working on it when that damn Ranma showed up!" Mousse yelled.

"Nevermind that," Cologne said, turning her attention to Jynn. "I'll let your traitorous actions go for now since you saved Shampoo's life, Perm. Tell me more about her condition."

"Like I said earlier, she lost a great deal of blood, but she's in stable condition. Aroma and the rest of Joketsuzoku's medical specialists are keeping an eye on her, but she's still unconscious," Jynn replied. "And, please, stop calling me Perm. Li gave me the name Jynn, and that's what I prefer to be called."

Mousse was angered at the very mention of Li's name. "You're pathetic! What happened, did you lose to him and become his servant so he wouldn't kill you?!"

Jynn hung his head and looked down at the ground sadly as he remembered when he first ran into Li and Meilin. "I did lose to him, but...he spared me because he said it was a fun fight for him. He and Meilin...they seemed like such free spirits, and I envied them. I was the one that asked if I could join them. After a while, I didn't even care about fighting anymore. I was happy just traveling with those two...but now it's over. I couldn't find Meilin, and Li...is dead..."

Mousse's anger began to dissipate when he saw the genuine sadness on the face of his old friend. He wasn't about to forgive him for not doing anything to prevent Shampoo from being hurt though.

"I have to find Ranma and return what he took from Li," Jynn said to him. "Mousse, you'll come with me, won't you?"

"Why should I?! I don't care what happens to Ranma, I'm going to stay with Shampoo!" Mousse said defiantly.

"And what good would that do?" Jynn asked him. "Don't you need to defeat Ranma if you want to win the right to marry Shampoo back from him? You have to find him first if you want to defeat him, right?"

Mousse couldn't think of any reply but to punch a hole in the concrete wall that he was standing next to.

"I believe that's his way of saying you're correct," Cologne said as she continued walking. "Let's be on our way."

Jynn began walking behind her again and Mousse slowly began to follow them. As much as he hated to admit it, Jynn was right. He needed to find Ranma in order to win his bride back.

* * *

That night, Ryouga, currently in his pig form, was laying comfortably on Akane's pillow while she slept. After hearing the news about Ranma, he'd spent all day laying around on the Tendo home's roof. The fact that Ranma might never show up at this place again made him seriously consider what his next move would be. After all, it was Ranma who drove Ryouga to train himself endlessly during the best years of his life. The only reasons he even showed up in this place were to fight Ranma and to see Akane.

As Ryouga saw things, there were two options that lay before him. One of them would be to remain with the Tendo family and comfort Akane in Ranma's absence. He wouldn't mind that at all, he thought. Then there was the second option, which was to go to China and conduct his own search for Ranma so that everyone could feel more at ease. He wondered what he should do as he looked up at Akane's sleeping face. Akane seemed to be taking the whole situation well while she was getting acquainted with Ringo, but Ryouga knew she must have been hurting inside. Even if he did stay there, he had a feeling that Akane wouldn't stop feeling the pain caused by Ranma's absence until the pigtailed boy came back.

Ryouga was snapped out of his deep thought by a wet feeling on his cheek. Looking up, he saw that Akane had tears rolling down her face. She mouthed Ranma's name and rolled around in bed for a moment before calming down and falling into a deep sleep again. As it turned out, this was all Ryouga needed to decide which path he would choose.

Early the next morning before anyone else was awake, Ryouga hopped into the bath and changed back into his human form before getting dressed and gathering his things in his backpack. After finding a piece of paper, he wrote on it the following: "Dear Akane, I'm going to China to look for Ranma. It might take weeks, months, or even years, but I promise I'll bring that jerk back here. Stay well. Your friend, Ryouga Hibiki."

Ryouga folded up the note and wrapped it in one of his bandanas as he walked toward Akane's room, planning to leave it by the door. Just as he reached her room, however, he heard a voice whispering to him.

"Ryouga, where are you going?" a sleepy Ringo asked as she looked at him.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Ryouga asked her.

"No, I just got up to get a drink of water," she told him. "Are you leaving?"

Ryouga was still feeling a bit hesitant to leave Akane's side, but he knew it was the right thing to do. "I can't just stay here and act like nothing's wrong while Akane's feeling like this. I'm going to the old woman's restaurant so I can catch a ride to China with them and find Ranma."

Ringo giggled softly as she smiled over at him. "You're a really nice guy, you know that, Ryouga?"

Ryouga started to blush as he looked down at the floor. "It's...it's nothing, really. I'm sure any guy would do the same thing. But, this is kind of weird..."

"What is?" Ringo asked.

"That face of yours reminds me a lot of that stupid jerk I'm going to look for, but you're completely different," Ryouga told her. "Anyway, take care of Akane while I'm gone. And could you give her this note for me?"

Ringo grabbed the note from him and nodded. "I'll be sure to give it to her for you. Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, and hey, have fun at Furinkan," Ryouga said with a smile as he started to walk off. "See ya."

Ringo silently waved goodbye as Ryouga wandered down the stairs and out the door. Clutching the bandana-wrapped note to her chest, she could only hope that Ryouga and Jynn would somehow find Ranma and bring him back home.

Three hours later, as Jynn, Cologne, and Mousse were preparing to leave for China, they heard a loud noise that caused Jynn lose his focus. They were surprised to see that the wall sealing in the area behind the restaurant had exploded and a tired looking Ryouga was standing atop the rubble.

"Good thing...I gave myself plenty of time..." Ryouga said, panting from running all over town for three hours. He quirked an eyebrow at Jynn's unmasked face when he first laid eyes on him. "You're...that Jynn guy? What happened to your mask?"

"Didn't need it anymore," Jynn said nonchalantly.

"Ryouga? What on earth are you doing here?" Cologne asked curiously.

"What's it look like? I'm coming with you. I'll be the one to find Ranma and beat him up before anyone else does," Ryouga replied.

"You wish!" Mousse yelled. "You can have what's left of Ranma after I defeat him!"

"What's that?!" Ryouga snarled at him.

Cologne rubbed her forehead as she watched the two argue. "Stop this, both of you. Ryouga, if you want to come that's fine, but you'll get no help from us."

"That's fine, I can take care of myself," Ryouga said in agreement.

After Ryouga joined the group, Jynn restarted his Shift technique, and with a brilliant flash of blue light the four of them vanished.

* * *

Five months later, Soun and Genma continued drinking while watching the snow fall outside.

"I guess that boy hasn't found Ranma yet, eh Tendo?" Genma asked his friend.

"Probably not," Soun replied. "But his joining in the search sure did make Akane feel better. She must have a lot of faith in that Ryouga boy."

Genma took another drink as he again felt the depression of his powerlessness in this situation. With each passing week his desire to go search for his son grew, but he now had a responsibility to look after Ringo, whom he'd come to accept as his own daughter. "You think I'll ever see my boy again, Tendo?"

"I'm sure he'll return one day, Saotome," Soun said to him. "With people like that old woman and Ryouga over there looking for him, I figure it's only a matter of time. We just need to have patience and take care of the girls while he's away."

Soun poured Genma another drink and raised his glass up high. "Cheers, Saotome, to the success of finding your son!"

After a moment of hesitation, Genma managed a smile and raised his glass in the air. "Cheers to that, Tendo."

* * *

On the other side of the Sea of Japan, a heavily clothed Ryouga was trudging through the snowy plains of northern China with a Russian ushanka made of muskrat fur on his head. Cologne had remained with Shampoo in Joketsuzoku and Mousse and Jynn had gone off in search of Ranma by themselves when they'd arrived in China, leaving Ryouga to wander around on his own. His poor sense of direction had caused him to take a little trip through Russia, but he'd finally found his way back to China again. Luckily, the skies had cleared and allowed the sun to shine down, but the blowing winds continued to make the air bitterly cold.

"Ranma! Where the hell are you?!" he yelled out. "I promised Akane I'd find you, you jerk! I don't care if I have to walk around here for the rest of my life, I'm gonna drag you back to Japan!"

As Ryouga continued to trudge forth, he squinted his eyes and saw what looked like a village ahead of him. He'd made a point to thoroughly search any areas of civilization for signs of Ranma, and thus began walking toward the village in the distance. When he finally reached it he got some strange looks from people, but that was common anywhere he went in this country.

While walking down the village's main road, Ryouga began to hear a commotion in the distance. Looking closely, he saw a cloud of snow being kicked up behind someone running toward him. "What is that...?"

Behind the cloud of snow, a mob of people could be seen chasing the fleeing person with various farm tools in their hands. As the chase drew closer to him, Ryouga could make out the figure of the person being chased. It was a small man with a cloth tied around his head and two large bags in his hands.

Ryouga grimaced as the man got close enough that he could recognize him. "It couldn't be..."

As the man continued to flee from the mob, he turned forward and noticed Ryouga standing in his path. It took him a moment to recognize who Ryouga was, but once he did he jumped up and smiled happily. "Ryouga! Long time no see! Nice fuzzy hat ya got there!"

Ryouga slapped his hand against his forehead as he watched none other than Happosai run toward him. "What are you doing, Gramps?!"

Happosai didn't slow down, tossing Ryouga one of the bags in his possession as he ran past him. "Nevermind that! Here, take this and come with me!"

"H-hey, wait...!" Ryouga stammered, bobbling the bag in his hands. Once he turned and saw the mob charging at him, he let out a loud cry and began running after Happosai. "Why are you getting me involved in this?!"

Happosai laughed joyously as he pulled out one of his firecracker bombs. "You're a big help, Ryouga! Now that I've got a hand free, I can shake off these pests! Take this, Happo Fire Burst!"

Ryouga frantically ran ahead of Happosai to get further away from the impending blast, but as it turned out there was no need. The icy winds blowing through the air put the fuse out before the firecracker had the chance to detonate, leaving it sitting on the ground only to be trampled by the mob.

"That's no fair! This is why I hate winter!" Happosai cried.

"Then stop crying and do something else!" Ryouga yelled at him.

Happosai was reaching around in his clothes when he suddenly looked up and focused his attention on the sky. "Hey, lookie! The sun's out today!"

"This isn't the time to be noticing the weather, old man!" Ryouga snapped.

Happosai jumped up and whacked Ryouga on the head with his pipe as they continued to run away. "No, you moron! This means I can use something else to deal with them! Although I really don't want to..."

Ryouga was getting more aggravated as he looked down at the weeping lecher. "What do you mean you don't want to do it?! Just hurry up and do something about all this!"

"Fine! Quit bothering me!" Happosai yelled, sticking his hand out in front of him.

Ryouga watched as an orange ball of energy began growing in Happosai's palm. He almost tripped over his own foot while he watched, but managed to keep his balance and continued running forward. "Hey! What's that thing?!"

Once the ball enveloped his entire palm, Happosai faced it toward the ground in front of the mob. "Now you've really gone and done it! Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, Forbidden Technique! Happo Solar Flare!"

When the ball of energy flew from Happosai's palm and struck the ground, it created an explosion that sent Ryouga and Happosai flying forward from the shock wave. The sound of the blast rattled eardrums as snow and frozen ground shot into the air from the impact.

"Owwwww! Hot hot hot!!" Happosai cried out, digging his hand into the snow to put out the fire on it.

Ryouga, who'd fallen to his knees after the blast, looked back in astonishment at the huge crater where the blast had occurred. There was nothing but silence as the mob of people was scattered about on the ground, knocked unconscious by the force of Happosai's attack.

"You...you mean you've had something like that all along, Gramps?! Why didn't you ever use it?!" Ryouga asked in disbelief.

"Because it burns my hand, you idiot! Oww!" Happosai pouted, whacking Ryouga with his pipe again. "Now hurry up and follow me before they wake up again!"

Ryouga was still shaken by the blast and didn't particularly want to follow Happosai of all people, but he didn't want to deal with that angry mob of people either. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and started running after the old man. Once the two of them left the village, they ran for a good while and eventually came upon a small hut near the base of some rocky cliffs.

"You've been living here?" Ryouga asked as they entered the hut. There wasn't much in the small shack aside from a pot with some wood beneath it, a tiny bed, and a large chest.

"Yup! Nice and cozy!" Happosai laughed, taking the bag from Ryouga's hands. "You did good today, kid."

Ryouga narrowed his eyes as the old man opened the bag, revealing bread and an assortment of meat and vegetables. "Let me guess, you stole this from those villagers?"

"Nonsense! They gave it to me," Happosai said in his defense.

"They were chasing you for a reason, Gramps! How dumb do you think I am?!" Ryouga snapped.

"Now now, let's not sweat the little details," Happosai replied, trying to downplay his obvious act of thievery. "So, any sign of my disciple yet?"

Ryouga let out a sigh as he sat down on the wood floor. "If there was, I wouldn't be wandering around here right now. What are you doing here, anyway? With you always wanting to see Ranma's girl form wearing a bra, I figured you'd be in Japan torturing Ringo."

"Akane kept hitting me whenever I tried!" Happosai cried, then stopping and clearing his throat before correcting himself. "I mean...Ranma's my important student! It was my duty to come here and look for him."

"Is that right?" Ryouga asked, looking at him skeptically. "You sure don't seem to be trying very hard."

"Well...I got a little sidetracked is all..." Happosai replied, looking down as he twiddled his fingers. "Say, why don't you help me so I can start looking for him again?"

"Forget it! Nothing good could come from helping you," Ryouga said to him.

"Aww, c'mon! Help an old man out!" Happosai pleaded. "Actually, now that I think about it, what's wrong with you?! Why are you looking for Ranma when you could be snuggling with Akane in her bed?!"

"Because it's been my goal in life to defeat Ranma! I can't just give up and live happily!" Ryouga snapped at him. Of course, there was also that little part about Akane missing Ranma, but he tried not to think about that too often.

Happosai scoffed at Ryouga's reply as he began gnawing on a loaf of bread. "Like you could ever beat him. He already knows how to counter that Shishi Hokodan of yours. You've got nothing else to use against him."

Ryouga leered over at Happosai angrily, but he couldn't deny that there was some truth to that statement. Ranma did know how to counter his perfected Shishi Hokodan. Even if he just used the simple version, Ranma could counter it with his Moko Takabisha.

"If Ranma's still alive, he's probably even stronger than before from training to fight that Li guy. Face it, you've got no chance against him, kid," Happosai said.

Slamming his fist against the floor, Ryouga swallowed his pride and thought of a way to compromise with the old lecher. "Fine then, let's make a deal, Gramps! I'll help with whatever it is that's keeping you here, but only on one condition!"

"Really?! You mean it?!" Happosai exclaimed happily, his eyes sparkling with glee. "What is it?! Anything you want!"

"I want you to teach me that solar...whatever!" Ryouga demanded.

"Are you nuts?!" Happosai yelled. "That technique is way too dangerous! No way! Forget it!"

Ryouga grinned slyly as he leaned in close to him. "Okay, but I guess you'll never get whatever it is that you want..."

Despite the cold weather, beads of sweat began rolling down Happosai's face as he tried to decide what was in his best interests. His Solar Flare was dangerous, and he knew it, but he wanted that thing so badly...and if he was right about Ryouga's ability to get it for him...

"Okay! Fine! Deal!" Happosai said reluctantly. "But you promise me you'll get the thing I want!"

"Leave it to me," Ryouga said, smiling confidently.

"Oh boy! I'm sure you can do it! Come on, follow me!" Happosai said, rushing out the door.

Ryouga had a feeling he was getting involved in something he shouldn't be, but if he could use that technique he'd seen Happosai use then he could surely defeat Ranma. For that end, he would do anything. When Ryouga exited the hut, he followed Happosai to the top of a snowy hill and looked down to the other side.

"There! You see it?" Happosai asked, pointing down to an entrance in the base of the rocky cliffs at the bottom of the hill.

Ryouga looked at the entrance and then over at Happosai. "What about it?"

Happosai turned to him and smiled happily. "There's a pretty lady that lives in there! I want you to go and get her panties for me, got it?!"

Ryouga grimaced as he leered over at the old lecher. He had a feeling it would be something like this. "Why is it always panties with you, you pervert?!"

"Bite your tongue!" Happosai snapped back at him. "You couldn't possibly understand my passion! Now get to work!"

Putting aside Happosai's faults for the time being, Ryouga turned and looked back down at the base of the cliff. If all it would take to get the old man to teach him that technique was one pair of panties, he would go through with it, he decided. But for Happosai to have to rely on him to swipe a pair of panties, this couldn't be any easy task. Just what kind of woman could give even Happosai such a hard time?

* * *

**End of Chapter 12**


	13. Unexpected Alliance

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Ignoring Happosai's persistent pleas to hurry up, Ryouga slowly descended the snowy hill and leaned up against the wall of rock next to the cave's entrance. He had a really bad feeling about this, and the fact that Happosai wouldn't tell him anything more made it that much worse. If anything, he figured there might be someone dangerous living with the girl in this cave. Still, he kept telling himself over and over in his mind that this was all for the sake of defeating Ranma. Being extremely cautious, he leaned over and peeked into the cave's entrance.

"Come on! Hurry up, will ya?!" Happosai yelled from atop the hill.

A startled Ryouga jerked his head back and put a finger to his mouth to signal the old lecher to be quiet. The last thing he needed was Happosai alerting the cave's occupants to his presence.

Once he was convinced that nobody had heard the old man's yelling, Ryouga again peeked inside the entrance. There was a small tunnel that stretched for a couple yards leading into what looked to be an open area. He could also see the flickering of candles inside as he scoped out the dimly lit space.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, Ryouga got down on his hands and knees and began crawling forth into the rocky cavern. When he leaned forward to look into the open space, he saw several lit candles and a number of other items, including a pile of blankets, a sack of rice, a pot on top of some wood, a barrel, and some items of clothing scattered across the ground. Among those clothes on the ground, he could plainly see a white pair of panties. One thing he didn't see, or hear for that matter, was a person.

Maybe this was his lucky day, Ryouga thought to himself. He could simply run in, grab the undergarments, and run back to where Happosai was waiting without any trouble whatsoever.

"Heh, piece of cake," Ryouga said, smiling as he stood up and walked into the cave. Unfortunately for him, his luck proved to be about as good as it always had been. He immediately froze up when he saw what looked like a machete being held at his throat. From his left side, a woman who'd been hiding against the inner wall of the cave stepped before him. She had a deadly glare in her eyes as she pressed the sword against Ryouga's neck.

"_Who are you?_" she asked in Mandarin.

"Umm...s-sorry, but I don't understand you..." Ryouga said nervously. Happosai could've told him this woman had a machete with her, he thought. Looking her over, he could tell that she wasn't normal. It was frigid inside the cave, yet she was wearing just a black tank top, shorts, and sandals. Her hair was completely white and ran down past her shoulders with bangs covering her forehead. But what Ryouga noticed the most about her were what looked like burn scars on her lower cheek and throat.

"A Japanese man?" she asked, switching to Ryouga's native tongue. "Okay then. Who are you and what do you want?"

Ryouga began laughing nervously as he started to back away from the woman. "Actually, I was just looking for a place to warm up for a while. I didn't know someone was living here though, so I'll just be going now..."

"Liar," the woman said without hesitation, pointing her sword at him. "You looked in and saw the candles, yet you still came in here."

This was one of those times that Ryouga wished he was better at lying. Still, he wanted to get out of this situation without getting physical. He never felt good about fighting girls, and it would be even worse since he was the bad guy in this case.

Folding his hands in front of him, he got down on his knees and began pleading with the woman. "You're right! I'm sorry! The truth is...I need a favor from you, umm...?"

"Meilin," she said, looking increasingly agitated. "This had better be good."

Somehow her name made Ryouga curious about something he'd once heard, but now wasn't the right time to think about it. "Then, I know it's a lot to ask, but...please, let me borrow a pair of your panties!"

Ryouga wasn't sure how Meilin would deal with his honest approach, and it wouldn't have surprised him if she'd attacked him right then and there, but he was surprised to see that she'd instead calmly lowered her sword to her side.

"Is that it?" Meilin asked, taking a deep breath as she walked over to the pile of clothes on the ground. "Sure, it's no problem."

Ryouga blinked a few times, wondering if he'd heard her right. "You...you mean it?"

"Of course," Meilin replied with a smile.

As she slowly turned around, however, the calm look on Meilin's face turned to an angry scowl. Raising her sword in the air, she shot him a look of absolute rage. "As if, you pervert!"

Ryouga's eyes widened as Meilin brought her arm down and the sword began extending out toward him. He barely had time to move his head before one of the sword's segments flew by him, grazing his cheek. When he turned around and saw the blades swinging back toward him, Ryouga quickly ducked. Luckily, the sword only hit the ushanka on his head, knocking it to the ground before folding back up in the hands of Meilin.

"S-sorry about all this!" Ryouga cried, getting to his feet and making a mad dash for the cave's entrance. He'd seen enough of Meilin's serpent sword to know that hanging around here and pressing the issue about her panties was a very bad idea.

"You think I'll let you go?!" Meilin yelled.

While Meilin raised her sword above her head once more, Ryouga jammed his finger into the rock above the entrance. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The wall of the rocky cliff crumbled down into the cave's entrance, completely closing Meilin inside while Ryouga escaped up the snowy hill.

Inside the cave, Meilin covered her head to protect herself from any falling rocks, but the damage was limited only to the cave's entrance. Lowering her sword to her side again, she narrowed her eyes as she stared at the pile of rocks blocking her path. "The pervert knows some tricks..."

Taking notice of the hat she'd knocked off of Ryouga's head, Meilin walked over and picked the ushanka up off of the ground. Dusting the hat off, she began to look it over, admiring the quality of the fur-covered item. "This is pretty nice..."

Outside, Happosai was jumping around excitedly while he watched his errand boy run up the hill. "Oh boy, oh boy! Did you get them?! Well?! Did you?!"

Once he reached the top of the hill, Ryouga, panting as he tried to catch his breath, slammed his fist into Happosai's skull and knocked him to the ground. "If you're sending me into a cave with a woman that has a sword like that, tell me beforehand!"

"Oww! Why'd you hit me?!" Happosai said angrily as he hopped to his feet.

"She tried to kill me, Gramps!" Ryouga snarled at him, pointing to the blood trickling from his cheek.

"Of course she did!" Happosai replied. "That's why I haven't gotten her sweet panties yet! Why is she so mean to me?! Why?!"

Ryouga smacked Happosai in the head again, knocking him on his back. "Then forget about it and go look for Ranma! It's just a stupid pair of panties!"

Happosai angrily shot up and smacked Ryouga in the nose with his pipe. "Never! The amount of work put into this will only make it sweeter when I finally get my hands on those little darlings!"

When Ryouga reached his hand up to rub his nose, he realized that something was missing from before. "My hat...no! It got knocked off in the cave! Argh! I really liked that thing too...!"

"Get over it!" Happosai told him, peeking over the hilltop and staring down at Meilin's cave. "We'll have to change plans here. Listen, kid, once she unblocks the entrance, you're gonna go in there as a pig. Got it?"

"As a pig?!" Ryouga asked in disbelief. "What if she feels like eating me?! I'll be completely defenseless!"

"Don't worry about it, I'll have your back!" Happosai assured him. "If anything happens, I'll swoop in there and save you! That is...unless you really don't want to learn my Happo Solar Flare..."

A frustrated Ryouga picked Happosai up by the back of his clothing and stared him in the face. "This is the last try! Understand?!"

Happosai happily nodded at Ryouga's acceptance of the plan. "No worries, it's sure to work this time!"

Ryouga felt uneasy as he set the old man back down on the ground. Going in there as a human was bad enough, but going in as a pig was ludicrous. Happosai's guarantee of assistance didn't exactly make him feel better either. Still, with his speed as a pig, it was possible that he could escape on his own should something go wrong.

"This is...for the sake of defeating Ranma," he told himself again, gritting his teeth together as he stared down at the cave.

* * *

By the time Meilin had unblocked the entrance, nightfall had come. After waiting and observing for a couple of hours, Happosai carefully descended the hill toward the cave with Ryouga, now in his black piglet form, perched atop his head.

Once they reached the wall of rock, Happosai peeked into the entrance to make sure Meilin wasn't aware of their presence before he began whispering to the piglet. "It's clear, now run in there and grab those panties!"

Mustering up his courage, Ryouga hopped down from the old man's head and cautiously moved in far enough that he could view the entire cave. Peeking his head inside, he saw that Meilin was wrapped up in the pile of blankets on the ground and had her head facing away from the entrance.

This was perfect, Ryouga thought to himself. Meilin was asleep, and that pair of panties was still with the pile of clothes he'd seen earlier. Still, he didn't want to risk waking her up, so he couldn't rush this. Ever so slowly, the black piglet began tiptoeing it's way to the clothing pile. He didn't take his eyes off of the sleeping woman once while he quietly moved closer to the target.

By the time he'd reached the panties, Ryouga had beads of sweat rolling down from his face. This was nerve wracking for him, but it was almost over. All he had to do was grab the undergarments and get out of that cave as quickly as possible. But when he bent his head down to grab the waistband of his objective between his teeth, Ryouga was terrified as the tip of Meilin's snake sword breezed past his snout and embedded itself into the wall next to him.

Ryouga let out a loud squeal as the white-haired woman jumped out from her makeshift bed. "The pervert again?!"

Outside the cave, Happosai shuddered when he heard Ryouga's squeal. Folding his hands in front of himself, he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for the boy before running back toward his hut. "Your sacrifice won't be forgotten, Ryouga! I swear, I'll get those little darlings in your memory!"

Inside the cave, Meilin was staring at the terrified swine with a somewhat confused look on her face. "A piglet?"

Finally coming to his senses, Ryouga turned and began dashing for the entrance, but Meilin swooped in like a hawk and picked him up by the bandana around his neck.

"Hmm...you'd probably make a nice meal," Meilin said as she studied him over.

Ryouga began squirming frantically at the mention of being eaten, trying to free himself from Meilin's grasp. He knew he couldn't count on Happosai to back him up. If he managed to survive this, he thought, he was going to kill the old lecher.

To his surprise though, a smile crossed Meilin's face and she began giggling to herself. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you. If I were normal I might, but I can't eat anything but rice and pickled vegetables."

Ryouga blinked a few times as he began to calm down. Was he actually safe, he wondered?

"You were probably just trying to get warm, weren't you?" she said, nuzzling her nose against the piglet's snout. "Wait, why am I talking to a pig? I must really be losing it..."

An embarrassed Ryouga blushed when Meilin squeezed him against her chest and laid back down in her bed, wrapping the two of them in blankets.

"How's that? Nice and comfy?" she asked, running her finger across the piglet's forehead.

Ryouga made a snorting noise in response, which Meilin took as a yes. The directionally challenged boy didn't know what to make of this situation. This woman wanted to kill him as a human, but she was actually being kind to him as a pig.

"Sorry if this is a little too much, piggy, but I've been a bit lonely lately. I didn't always used to be by myself..." Meilin said, staring blankly at the cavern wall while she played with the piglet's ear. "I used to travel with a guy wherever I went. It was never anything romantic, we'd just known each other for most of our lives."

The piglet in Meilin's hands made a slight squealing noise when he saw a tear run down her cheek and fall to the ground.

"Then...he was killed," she said, wiping her face. "I...I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised about it. That was the kind of life we led. He just never thought he'd run into anyone better than he was..."

Meilin looked down at the piglet as she brought her hands to the burn scar on her cheek. "This happened on the same day he died. I got burned badly and couldn't get it treated right away, so the burns got infected. That's why I'll have these scars for the rest of my life. They probably make me look hideous, don't they?"

Ryouga emphatically shook his head, trying to comfort her. This woman really did have a gentle side, he thought to himself. Seeing her like this had almost made him forget about what happened earlier.

Meilin giggled as she held the piglet up in the air above her. "What's this? It's almost like you understand what I'm saying."

Seemingly in higher spirits now, Meilin held Ryouga to her chest and closed her eyes. "Thank you. It's nice to have company for a change, even if it is just a pig."

Ryouga hadn't completely forgotten what he'd come here for, but it wasn't at the forefront of his mind at the moment. This sort of comfort was something that only Akane had ever given him, and he hadn't experienced it since he left Japan five months ago.

Wrapped in the warmth of Meilin's embrace, Ryouga eventually closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Ryouga's eyes fluttered open to find that the cave was now brightened by daylight. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he found himself still loosely in the grip of the sleeping white-haired woman. He'd never intended to fall asleep next to her, but somehow things just turned out that way.

Wriggling free of Meilin's grasp, Ryouga took a moment to look at her peacefully sleeping face. In a way, she was a lot like him, he thought. She acted tough and was quick to get violent with anyone that intruded on her, but she was also human. She got lonely. As much as he understood her situation, Ryouga also knew how dangerous it could be for him if she found out the truth about the piglet she'd let stay with her. He knew he had to go before she awakened.

Silently apologizing to her, Ryouga trotted over to the pile of clothing on the ground, grabbed the waistband of the white pair of panties between his teeth, and took off running from the cave.

Meanwhile, Happosai, who'd gotten a very peaceful night's sleep considering what he thought had happened to Ryouga, had just hopped in a tub of water he'd heated up and was taking a bath.

"That's really too bad about Ryouga," Happosai murmured while he scrubbed his head. "Oh well, no use thinking about it. He should be glad he got to die at the hands of a pretty lady like that..."

Happosai let out a startled cry when a familiar black piglet burst through the side of his hut and came to a halt next to his tub. "R-Ryouga! You're alive! I-I mean, right, I knew you'd be fine..."

Dropping the object he'd been carrying to the floor, Ryouga hopped into the tub and shot out from the water in his human form. Seething with anger, he grabbed Happosai by the neck and began strangling him. "You didn't back me up at all, damn you!"

Happosai took a deep breath as Ryouga reluctantly let go of him. "You...you didn't need my help anyway...! Just think of it as training..."

"Training, my ass!" Ryouga snapped, slamming his fist into Happosai's cranium before picking the white panties up off the floor. "Here, this is what you wanted, right?"

The old pervert's eyes glimmered with joy as he looked at the undergarments in Ryouga's hand. "Are...are those...hers?"

"That's right," Ryouga replied.

"Oh, happy day!" Happosai exclaimed gleefully, swiping the panties and grasping them against his chest. "You're the greatest disciple I've ever had, Ryouga! I knew you could do it!"

"I'm not your disciple, Gramps!" Ryouga snarled. "Now you're going to teach me that solar technique, right?"

Happosai seemed confused for a moment before shooting Ryouga a defiant look. "Forget it! That's way too dangerous in the hands of an amateur like you!"

Aggravated by the response, Ryouga tried to swipe at the old man, but he jumped back and out of reach. "Do you have any idea what I had to go through to get those?! You'd better not back out on our deal now!"

"Hah, I've already got what I want! I don't have to teach you anything!" Happosai replied, sticking his tongue out at him. "Now leave me be, I've got some business to attend to!"

After all the effort he'd put into stealing Meilin's panties, Ryouga had hoped that this would go smoother, but he wasn't exactly shocked to see Happosai back out of their agreement. Thankfully, he knew a thing or two about motivating the old lecher. "You know, Gramps, I saw another pair of panties in that cave..."

Happosai, who'd slipped back into his clothes and was about ready to leave, stopped in his tracks after hearing the claim.

Ryouga smirked and continued on, knowing he'd caught the old man's attention. "They were a lot more detailed than that pair I just brought you. The design, the frills...honestly, I've never seen anything like them."

Taking a loud gulp, Happosai turned his head and stared into Ryouga's eyes. "What...what color were they...?"

"What color were they?" Ryouga asked, drawing out the answer to further entice him. "Let's see...oh, that's right. They were red."

With an image of Meilin wearing the said panties fresh in his mind, Happosai had reached his breaking point. He immediately clasped onto Ryouga's arm and began weeping. "Ryouga! You have to get them for me! Please, I'll do anything!"

"It's real simple, Gramps," Ryouga said, pulling Happosai off of him and dropping him to the ground. "Teach me that technique, then I get you those panties. Deal?"

"Fine! Deal! Get dressed and get outside, now!" Happosai said emphatically.

Considering how much resistance the old man had put up about teaching him his technique, Ryouga couldn't believe how willing he became at the very mention of the red panties. Of course, there really wasn't such a thing, but Happosai didn't need to know that. An eye for an eye, and a lie for a lie, he figured.

After getting dressed, Ryouga followed Happosai outside and to the back of his hut.

"Now listen to me," Happosai said after instructing Ryouga to sit down, "the Happo Solar Flare is not a toy! If you shoot it directly at somebody, you could kill them! It's that destructive! Also, it only works when the sun's out! Got it?!"

Ryouga recalled how Happosai had shot the ball of energy at the ground the first time he'd seen him use it, rather than shooting it directly at the mob that had been chasing him. "Fine, I get it. How's it work?"

Happosai raised his finger into the sky and pointed toward the sun. "Using that! Get a good look at it!"

Ryouga stared at the sun for a few seconds before he had to close his eyes, unable to bear the brightness anymore.

"You got it? Then close your eyes and hold your hand out, palm facing upward," Happosai told him. "After that, you need to picture that fiery ball in your mind!"

Doing as instructed, Ryouga took a deep breath and closed his eyes before picturing the sun in his eyes. "What now?"

"You feel that heat coming down from there? It's a lot easier to notice when it's cold out here like it is now. That's solar energy, kid, and that's what you're gonna use," Happosai told him. "It's a good thing you learned that Shishi Hokodan, because you need good control of your chi energy for this. The first thing you want to do is focus a small amount of chi in that open palm of yours. Do it."

Happosai could see Ryouga's facial muscles tightening up as he tried to focus his energy. "You're too tense! Relax!"

"I know! I'm just...not used to this," Ryouga replied impatiently. It took him a little time, but eventually a small sphere of chi energy grew in his palm.

"Good, now comes the hard part. You need to use your chi to draw in that energy coming from the sun," Happosai said to him. "It needs to be a perfect balance of your own energy and the sun's energy though, otherwise it won't work. So while you draw in that solar energy, you need to keep pumping an equal amount of your own into that sphere in your hand. Go ahead, give it a try."

The concept was simple enough, but Ryouga quickly realized that the practice was anything but simple. Only a second after he began focusing on the solar energy, the sphere in his hand became unstable and popped. "H-hey...why didn't it work?"

Happosai smacked him on the head with his pipe. "Because you weren't adding enough of your own chi energy, numbskull! Now try again."

Ryouga slowly went through the process in his mind again, but the result wasn't any different. Again the energy sphere in his palm dissipated after only a second.

"Not so easy, is it?" the old man asked him. "This isn't something you'll learn right away, Ryouga. You need to practice it a lot."

"Yeah, you're not kidding," Ryouga said, staring intently at his palm. "I'm going to master it though! If I just do that...I can beat Ranma!"

"Good! Glad to see you're optimistic!" Happosai replied. "So, since I taught you how to to do the Happo Solar Flare, you're gonna go get me those precious red undies now, right?"

Ryouga was so enveloped in thinking about the technique that he'd forgotten what he promised the old man. "Oh, right, those. I'll get them for you once I master this."

Happosai's demeanor quickly changed to one of sadness and disappointment at the response. "What?! But...but...that could take forever! That's just cruel!"

"Deal with it, Gramps!" Ryouga snapped at him. He really hoped that it wouldn't take him forever to get the Happo Solar Flare down, but he had a feeling that getting this technique to work could be more complex than he thought.

* * *

Three days into his attempts to master Happosai's technique, Ryouga was beginning to feel exhausted. A warm front had come through and melted most of the snow on the ground, but the change in weather hadn't helped Ryouga's training any. Trying to balance the amounts of solar energy and his chi energy that he put into the technique was proving to be as much of a challenge as he'd feared, and despite his best efforts, which were enough to leave minor burns on his palm, he hadn't improved much from when he began training.

"Ryouga! Have you mastered it yet?!" Happosai asked him impatiently from his perch atop the hut.

Ryouga watched as another sphere of energy popped in his palm due to the interruption. "No, I haven't, and you're not helping!"

"Augh! How long are you gonna make me wait?!" Happosai complained. "Fine! I'm going on a supply run!"

While Happosai headed off to the nearby village, no doubt to loot from the food stands, Ryouga continued to focus on the energy in his hand. He was determined to get this technique down as soon as possible. The quicker he mastered it, the quicker he could get back to looking for Ranma.

"Here piggy, piggy, piggy!!"

Ryouga's eyes opened wide as another attempt at the Happo Solar Flare dissipated in his hand. He tried to ignore the yelling in the distance and focus on the task at hand, but it persisted.

"Piggy! Where are you?!"

Aggravated by the calls, Ryouga spun his head and looked toward the direction of the source. "I'm not a pig...!"

When he walked to the top of the hill and peeked his head over it, he looked down and saw Meilin standing outside the entrance to her cave.

"Her again?" Ryouga said to himself, grabbing his head. "Please, just forget about the pig..."

Apparently convinced that the little black piglet wasn't coming, Meilin turned around and walked back into the cave. Ryouga could tell that she missed the little piglet, but he didn't want her to get too attached to it. Once he mastered the Happo Solar Flare, he'd be leaving in search of Ranma again.

After he sat back down and continued with his training, however, he found it difficult to concentrate. Minutes passed by, and then eventually an hour passed, and he simply couldn't focus. He knew what it felt like to be lonely, and knowing that the girl in that cave was feeling that way right now made him feel badly for her.

"Maybe...just a few hours would be fine," Ryouga finally decided. He wasn't having much luck with his technique at the moment anyway.

After changing to his pig form, he quickly trotted down the hill and into the cave to see the white-haired woman. Making a snorting noise to announce his arrival, Ryouga immediately noticed that there was a barrel with a fire lit underneath it and steam rising out.

"Ah! You came back!" Meilin said happily, sticking her head out from behind the barrel. "Wait just a minute, I'll be right there."

Sitting down while he waited for her to finish whatever she was doing, Ryouga stared over at the barrel. Was she cooking dinner, he wondered?

"Okay, all set!" Meilin said as she walked out from behind it.

The piglet immediately turned red and froze up with embarrassment when he saw her. Much to his shock, she was completely nude from head to toe.

"You're lucky, I was just about to take a nice, hot bath. Now you can join me," Meilin smiled, picking the piglet up and squeezing it between her breasts.

Unable to bear the situation, a stream of blood shot out from the pig's nostrils, drawing a perplexed look from the woman holding it.

"Is...that a nosebleed?" Meilin asked, laughing as she looked down at the piglet. "Since when do pigs get embarrassed about seeing human girls naked? You're such an odd thing."

It was only after Meilin had hopped in the barrel that Ryouga began to realize the horrific danger of his situation. She was about to dip him in hot water. Trying to put his embarrassment in the back of his mind, he let out a loud squeal and frantically tried to squirm free of her grasp.

"Hey, now, it's not that hot," Meilin joked. "Don't worry I won't let you drown. In you go, you naughty piggy."

Ryouga nearly had a heart attack when he felt his body being enveloped by the hot water. He could only look forward in horror as he changed back to his human form and shot out from the water, finding himself staring directly into the eyes of the white-haired woman.

Meilin could only stare ahead blankly, completely in shock about what she'd just witnessed. She'd just dipped her little piglet in the hot water, and now Ryouga's naked body was pressed up against her own in the small barrel.

Panicking, Ryouga covered his eyes with one hand and used his other hand to stop the blood running from his nose. "I-I'm sorry! I can explain this...!"

Slowly, Meilin's initial shock turned to anger and embarrassment as she glared forward at him. "So...that's how it is. I was wondering why my underwear went missing after the pig disappeared. That whole time...the little piglet...was you!"

One powerful strike from Meilin's fist sent Ryouga flying out of the barrel and into a wall. Not at all interested in seeing what she would do next, he immediately ran out of the cave and began dashing naked up the hill toward Happosai's hut. Luckily for him, most of the snow had melted over the past few days. Otherwise, it would've been obvious to Meilin which way he'd run.

Seething with rage, Meilin hopped out of the barrel and began getting dressed. "This...this is unforgivable! I'll kill him!"

Once Ryouga reached the hut, he immediately got dressed and began slamming his fists through the floor. "That...was...so...stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I can't believe how stupid I am!"

Upon seeing the door to the hut suddenly swing open, he initially froze up with terror, thinking that Meilin had already found him. However, that turned out to not be the case.

"Woohoo! What a haul! What a haul!" Happosai exclaimed, bounding into the hut with a sack tied behind his back as he shut the door behind him. He immediately noticed the holes that Ryouga had just put in his floor. "Hey! What gives with tearing up my house?!"

Finally able to exhale, Ryouga let out a sigh of relief. He was safe, at least for now. Still, he thought, Meilin would be on the prowl for him now, and Happosai had already taught him how to do the Happo Solar Flare. With things as they were, it might be best if he left and trained elsewhere.

* * *

At the nearby village, Meilin ran through the streets with a blanket tied around her like a cloak to conceal her face. She knew Ryouga had to be somewhere nearby, and this was as good a place as any to look for the pervert. "When I find him...he's dead!"

She was about to turn a corner and begin looking in another direction when something on the village's bulletin board caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she saw that one of the notices on the board had a familiar likeness on it. "Kirin...?"

After skimming over the notice, Meilin tore it off of the board and began reading it more thoroughly. "This is..."

"_Hey, we found those thieves!_"

"_That old man and the kid with the bandana?!_"

"_Yeah! Get everyone together! Hurry!_"

When she heard the villagers talking nearby, Meilin took her eyes off of the paper in her hands and looked back at them. "A kid with a bandana, huh..."

Back at Happosai's hut, Ryouga was gathering all of his belongings and stuffing them into his backpack.

"What're you up to?" Happosai said, stuffing a large piece of meat into his mouth.

"I can't concentrate here. I need to go," Ryouga replied.

Happosai nearly spat his food all over the floor at the response. "What?! Hey, you still have to get me those red panties!"

"There never were any red panties, Gramps! That was a lie!" Ryouga said to him.

"Are you kidding me?! How dare you lie to me like that!" Happosai said angrily. "If you think you're leaving, you-"

Happosai and Ryouga both stopped when they heard a ruckus outside. They turned and looked at each other as the sound of numerous voices grew louder.

"Looks like they finally found me," Happosai gulped. "Come on, kid, we've gotta take care of them!"

"Why do I have to help?! You're the one that's been stealing from them!" Ryouga yelled.

"You lied to me about those panties! You're obligated to help with this!" Happosai told him. "Now come on!"

Grumbling under his breath, Ryouga slipped on his backpack and followed Happosai outside where around thirty men with various weapons were waiting. Most of them had farming tools, but some had swords with them. Normally, this was a situation that Happosai could handle, but that was only when he was willing.

Patting Ryouga on the back, Happosai hopped onto the roof of the hut and began running away from the commotion. "I'll leave this to you, kid!"

"What?! You little coward, get back here!" Ryouga yelled, but he quickly had to draw his umbrella from his back to block one of the villagers from hitting him with a garden hoe. "Damn...!"

Luckily for Happosai, the villagers seemed content with taking out their frustrations on the boy with the bandana. While he ran from the scene, however, he suddenly came to a halt as something in the air caught his attention. "Wait! This scent..."

"_This is for everything you've stolen from us!_" one villager yelled in Mandarin at Ryouga.

All at once, everyone charged toward him. If Ryouga wanted to survive this, he needed to do some mob control. Reaching his arm back, he leaned forward and jammed his finger into the ground in front of him. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

While the villagers shielded themselves from the storm of rocks and dirt that flew into the air, Ryouga began knocking them out one at a time. He took five of them out with punches, kicks, and umbrella strikes before everyone began throwing weapons at him.

Opening up his umbrella, Ryouga jumped back and held it out in front of him to protect himself from the projectiles. "I don't have a reason to fight you people, but I've got something I need to do! If you keep coming at me, you're going to get hurt!"

Ryouga's eyes widened with surprise when he saw several of the villagers at the back of the mob begin flying into the air.

"_Hey, who are you?!_"

"_Wh-who is this?! She's some kind of monster!_"

As the remaining conscious members of the mob ran for their lives, one woman remained standing before Ryouga. Stepping forward, she raised her sword in the air and brought it down toward his head.

Closing his umbrella again, Ryouga raised it up and blocked the sword strike. It wasn't any mystery to him who this was. Even the cloth over her head couldn't hide the fact that it was Meilin he was fighting. Much like the punch Ryouga had received earlier, the force of Meilin's sword strike seemed incredible to him considering what a slender build the woman had.

"Looks like you can fight, after all," Meilin said, pulling back the cloth to reveal her face.

"I don't want to fight you, Meilin," Ryouga told her.

"You should've thought about that before you showed up in my cave under the guise of a pig and stole my panties!" Meilin snapped back, swinging her folded up snake sword at him again.

Again, Ryouga blocked the strike with his umbrella. "Look, I didn't want to do that!"

"Then why did you?!" Meilin yelled.

She was about to strike at Ryouga again, but a small old man leaping at her from the side caught her attention.

"Pretty lady!" Happosai said gleefully, trying to latch onto Meilin's chest. Unfortunately, all he got was an elbow to the head.

After driving him to the ground, Meilin stomped on the old lecher's head and looked down at him with disgust. "This pervert again..."

"Sure, now you come back, Gramps!" Ryouga snarled at him, then turning his attention back to Meilin. "I only took your panties to get this pervert to teach me a new technique! Otherwise I'd never have done it!"

Meilin narrowed her eyes at she stared at him. "To get him to teach you a technique?"

"That's it! Actually, wait here a sec," Ryouga said, hurrying into Happosai's hut and rummaging through his trunk. When he returned, he held up the white panties that he'd taken from the cave several days ago. "Here, these are yours, right?"

After looking at the panties for a moment, Meilin blushed and swiped them from Ryouga's hand before stuffing them into her shorts. "Don't think I'll forgive you just for giving these back. There's still the issue of you pretending to be a pig to take advantage of me..."

Ryouga's nose began to bleed again as he thought about seeing her naked earlier. "I-I didn't mean to do that, really! I had no idea you were bathing! I just...you seemed lonely, so I thought seeing the pig again might make you feel better..."

"Lonely? I don't need your pity, understand?!" Meilin snarled at him. Ryouga was half expecting her to continue her assault, but she simply let out a sigh and let her sword fall to her side. "Forget it. It won't matter soon anyway."

Raising her arm in the air again, Meilin pointed her sword at Ryouga's face. "You, you're coming with me."

Ryouga was perplexed by the sudden demand, to say the least, as well as the fact that she'd just let him off the hook so easily for what happened earlier. "Coming with you where?"

Meilin pulled out the piece of paper that she'd taken from the bulletin board earlier and held it up in front of him. "To Nekonron."

* * *

**End of Chapter 13**


	14. Tournament

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

While a mass of orange energy grew in his right palm, Ryouga winced, trying to ignore the pain that all of his practice had caused his hand. Since learning how to perform the Happo Solar Flare from Happosai, he'd tripled the amount of time he could keep the energy intact from one second to three, but he knew he was still far from mastering the technique. After holding on for slightly over three seconds, the energy dissipated into the air.

Growling out of frustration, Ryouga grabbed his aching palm and stared angrily at it. "Why can't I get this right?!"

"Shut up already!" Meilin yelled as she walked alongside him. "I don't know what it is you're doing, but could you at least try to be quiet?!"

Ryouga narrowed his eyes and glared over at the woman. Her attitude was something he could deal with, but what was annoying him more was the fact that she was wearing his ushanka underneath the cloth she concealed her upper body with. "I haven't gotten to practice this move for two days because of the clouds, so deal with it. And I want my hat back."

Meilin turned her head away from him defiantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I found this hat in my cave, so it's mine."

After five days of trudging through the snow-covered plains of China, Ryouga and Meilin were finally nearing Nekonron.

Ryouga couldn't read the notice that Meilin had showed him five days ago, but she was happy to explain it to him after punting Happosai off into the distance. As it turned out, Kirin was holding a martial arts tournament in Nekonron today in celebration of the news that Lychee was carrying their first child. The prize for winning the tournament? Any one favor that the victor asked of the Seven Lucky Gods, so long as it was within reason.

Initially, Ryouga refused Meilin's demand that he come along with her, citing his need to find someone he was looking for. But as Meilin would point out in a very unflattering manner, Ryouga could use his favor to ask Kirin and the others to help find whoever he was looking for if he ended up winning. With this in mind, Ryouga finally agreed to follow her to Nekonron. He knew it would take some time out of his own search, but having the Seven Lucky Gods searching for Ranma along with everyone else could be a great help, he figured.

Back when Meilin had asked Ryouga to come with her, he'd immediately asked why she wanted him to tag along. She responded by saying that with all of the fighters that would be there, it would be safer to have someone watching her back. This Ryouga could understand, but there were other things that bothered him about all of this, or rather about Meilin.

For one, why was she so adamant about concealing her identity? She'd worn a cloth over her upper body, including her face, ever since they'd left from her cave. There had to be some reason she didn't want to be seen, and Ryouga had a feeling he didn't want to find out why.

In addition to this was the fact that she'd let Ryouga off so quickly for not only stealing her panties, but for pretending to be a pig and, albeit accidentally, seeing her in the nude when she was getting ready to take a bath. She was livid about the incident at first, but it seemed as though she put it behind her without much thought in favor of having him back her up at Nekonron. The only reason for this that Ryouga could come up with was that there must have been something far more important to Meilin waiting at Nekonron.

That was the final thing that had Ryouga wondering about the white-haired woman. It was clear that Meilin had her sights set on winning that tournament, but what favor did she want to ask of Kirin so badly? When Ryouga asked her, she simply shrugged it off and said it was none of his business. She did have a point, he figured, but it was something he would've liked to have known if they were going to be watching each others' backs.

"We're here," Meilin said, pointing at a group of people walking toward Seven Luck Mountain.

"Are they here to fight too?" Ryouga asked.

"They might just be here to watch," Meilin replied. "That notice did say people were welcome to come whether they wanted to fight or just observe. It's a happy occasion for Kirin, after all."

Ryouga and Meilin had both assumed that the tournament would be held on top of the mountain, but as they got closer they noticed a large hole in the ground and a banner raised in front of it reading: "All participants for the tournament, enter below."

What the two of them saw when they looked into the hole was an entire arena made out of stone, and it was enough to amaze the both of them. There were four staircases around the pit that led downward and numerous rows of seats around the circular arena, some already occupied with onlookers, all of which faced toward the flat ground in the middle that had a stone barrier surrounding it.

"I don't remember this being here," Meilin said, staring down at some of the fighters who were warming up at the bottom of the arena. "They must have constructed it just for this occasion."

"Guess we just go down, then," Ryouga said as he began walking down a staircase, and Meilin followed close behind.

It wasn't long before they came to the end of the staircase and hopped over the barrier to the arena floor.

"_You two there! If you want to enter the tournament then get over here and sign up!_" the guardian Ebitan yelled out to them in Mandarin. He was standing in the middle of the arena with a clipboard in his hands while Kirin and Lychee looked on from a royal box of sorts in the front row of the crowd.

"Talk in a language I can understand!" Ryouga yelled back at him.

As Ryouga walked up to him, Ebitan recognized his face from the first time they'd met each other. "Hey, I remember you! You were one of those guys in Saotome's group!"

Meilin, who'd been quietly walking beside Ryouga, spun her head around and looked at him in shock when she heard Ebitan mention the name Saotome.

"What do you mean Saotome's group?" Ryouga asked, agitated by the name. "That makes me sound like I'm Ranma's subordinate. Don't put it like that."

"Whatever. Just sign up if you're participating," Ebitan said to him, obviously indifferent about his displeasure with the name.

After signing the sheet on the clipboard and handing it off to Meilin, Ryouga decided to make sure he could get what he wanted out of this. "Is it true that the winner can ask for any favor they want?"

"That's right, so long as it's within reason," Ebitan replied.

"So...if I asked you guys to help me find Ranma, you'd do it?" Ryouga asked him.

Ebitan scratched his head for a moment while he pondered the request. "Well...it sounds reasonable enough, but it's Master Kirin's decision in the end. Just so you know, we haven't heard anything about Saotome since he fought Li."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Ryouga replied, looking uncomfortable. The lack of any lead in five months made it seem more and more likely that Ranma was dead. He wasn't going to give up until he knew for sure though. He owed at least that much to Akane, he thought.

When Meilin handed the clipboard back to Ebitan, he raised an eyebrow curiously at her choice of names. "M? You're just M?"

"That's right," Meilin replied.

"What's with you people? First someone signs up as Y and now there's an M. Don't you have real names..." Ebitan began to say before being interrupted by the sound of some of the fighters getting a little too into their spars behind him. "_Hey, save it for the tournament, you fools!_"

While Ebitan rushed over to break up the fight, Ryouga looked over at the woman next to him. "You sure haven't said much since we came down here."

"I'm trying to keep a low profile right now. I've got a bit of a history with these people," Meilin replied, tugging the cloth over her face. "Let's take a look around and see if there's anyone we need to worry about here."

As the two of them began looking around the arena floor for anyone of interest, one person caught Meilin's eye.

"Hey, Ryouga, you see that guy in the black cloak over there?" Meilin asked him.

Ryouga turned around to look at the person in question. Although their face was covered by the hood on their cloak, it seemed as though they were staring right at him. And he wasn't sure what it was, but the handle of some sort of weapon was sticking out from behind the person's back.

"What's he think he's looking at?" Ryouga asked, irritated by the stare.

"Maybe he knows you," Meilin smiled.

After several seconds of staring back and forth, the person in the cloak turned around and walked off.

"I don't know if he's a threat or not, but I guess we'll find out soon enough," Meilin said.

No sooner had she finished her sentence when Meilin saw something flying at her. Immediately raising her snake sword in the air to shield herself, she watched as the strings of a lute wrapped themselves tightly around her weapon.

"You've got some nerve coming here. Did you think I wouldn't recognize you?" the woman with the lute asked with a furious look in her eyes.

"Sister..." Meilin said quietly, staring forward at her older sibling. She was expecting to be engaged in a fight to the death right at that moment, but after taking a deep breath Monlon calmed down and retracted her lute's strings.

"Now is a time of celebration for the Seven Lucky Gods and I'm in a good mood, so I'll overlook your presence for the moment," Monlon said to her. "You intend to participate in the tournament?"

Meilin swallowed hard as she tried to control herself. Her goal was finally right in front of her, but now wasn't the time, she thought. "That's right..."

Monlon shrugged as she ran her hand through her hair. "It would be a shame if Master Kirin had to grant a favor to a coward who ran away like you, but I suppose the tournament is open to anyone."

"Ran away?" Meilin asked, gritting her teeth together. "I'd much rather live free than be a slave to Kirin like you! Why do you continue to live like this?!"

"Because it's the duty we were given upon our birth!" Monlon snapped back at her. "You would understand that if Li hadn't put all those ideals in your head!"

"Li?" Ryouga asked, recalling the name somewhere in his mind. "That's...the same Li that Jynn guy said attacked Ranma?"

"What, you mean she never told you?" Monlon asked. "Meilin here fought alongside Li against your friend Saotome and that Shampoo girl five months ago."

Ryouga stared wide-eyed at Meilin for a few moments as he finally came to realize the truth about the woman he'd been traveling with. "It was you?! Then...the one that gave you those burns was Shampoo?!"

Meilin looked away, trying to avoid direct eye contact with him. "I didn't know the person you were looking for was Saotome until Ebitan brought his name up, otherwise I would've told you. But it doesn't change the fact that you're my ally right now and not my enemy."

"It changes a lot, damn it!" Ryouga snapped at her. "You're one of the people who caused this whole mess that I'm trying to fix!"

"Well, seems you two have some issues to work out," Monlon said with a smirk as she began walking away. "Good luck in the tournament, little sister. I'll be rooting against you, of course."

Meilin had a less than happy look on her face as she watched Monlon walk away, but it was nothing compared to the look Ryouga was giving her right now.

While onlookers continued to fill the seats, Kirin stood up and raised his hand into the air. "_Attention, warriors! Our deadline for entry into the tournament has now passed. The tournament will begin in one hour. Until then, we have prepared a suitable area for you all to prepare. If you would, please follow Ebitan._"

While Ebitan began leading the fighters up one of the staircases, Ryouga turned around and began walking back up the stairs that he and Meilin had come down earlier.

"Where do you think you're going?" Meilin asked him.

"I'm going to be by myself for a while!" Ryouga yelled back at her.

Looking over for a moment at the group of fighters being led elsewhere by Ebitan, Meilin let out a sigh and reluctantly began following Ryouga up the stairs.

* * *

After walking out of the arena and far enough away from it that he couldn't hear the chatter of the spectators, Ryouga threw his backpack up against a rock and sat down next to it.

"Will you calm down and listen to me?!" Meilin said angrily as she stared down at him. "I told you, I didn't know you were looking for Saotome. If I had, I would've told you who I was earlier."

"What happened that day?" Ryouga suddenly asked her, keeping his eyes focused on the ground.

Meilin had an uncomfortable look on her face as she grabbed hold of her left arm. "I'll tell you right now, I don't know what happened with Saotome. His fight with Li was already over by the time I woke up in that godforsaken place."

Ryouga slammed his fist into the ground in frustration, growling as he raised his head to look at Meilin. "Do you realize what you and that Li guy did?! Right now there's a girl back in Japan who's been crying for five months because Ranma hasn't come home yet!"

"What do you want me to do about it?! What's done is done, I can't change what happened!" Meilin yelled at him.

"Instead of sitting around in a cave doing nothing, go out and help look for Ranma! At least make an effort to fix all the damage you caused!" Ryouga snapped.

Shaking with bitterness, Meilin bit her lip as her eyes began to tear up. "Don't...don't you dare act like I came away from that day unscathed! I woke up in that place dehydrated and with a broken arm and ribs! I looked and looked for Li, and then...I found that grave marker with his name on it. You can't imagine what it feels like to realize that the only person in the world who ever understood you is dead."

Meilin wiped the tears from her eyes and collapsed to her knees as she stared at Ryouga. "This is the only time in my life that I've ever been by myself, and I hate it. I can't show my face anywhere because I don't have Li to help me escape if authorities find me. When I saw that notice for this tournament, I saw my chance to finish what he and I had set out to do. It's my only chance to duel my sister to the death without having to go through the other guardians first."

"And then what?" Ryouga asked sternly.

Meilin shifted her gaze toward the ground, unable to come up with an answer.

Ryouga let out a sigh as he looked over at her. "You plan on dying, don't you?"

"Why not?! There's nothing else for me in this world!" Meilin screamed at him.

Leaning back against the rock, Ryouga looked toward the sky and pictured Akane in his mind. "You know, I'm always traveling by myself in Japan. It's lonely, sure, but I keep going because there's things in this world that make me happy."

"What're you getting at?" Meilin asked, looking at him strangely.

"I'm just saying, there's always something to live for in this world," Ryouga replied, wincing as he pulled his umbrella out of his backpack with his right hand and pointed it at her. "You might not think so, but you can find something that makes you happy too."

To Ryouga's surprise, Meilin actually cracked a smile and began giggling at him. "God, that's so cheesy..."

"Shut up! I'm being serious!" Ryouga snarled, letting his umbrella drop to the ground to reduce the pain in his hand.

Noticing Ryouga's discomfort, Meilin grabbed him by the wrist and looked at his right palm. "These burns...came from practicing that technique?"

Ryouga jerked his hand back and looked away from her. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's not nothing, you're hurt," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a squeezable tube. "Give me your hand..."

As Meilin squeezed a cream onto his palm, Ryouga felt almost embarrassed and his face turned a shade of red. "What is this stuff?"

"An ointment I used to use for my burns," Meilin said, rubbing the cream over his palm. "It should help with some of the discomfort."

The two of them stayed silent until Meilin was finished applying the ointment.

Looking at his palm, Ryouga noticed that the pain was beginning to subside. "T-thanks..."

Meilin moved over and sat against the rock next to him. "Look, I know my sister doesn't want me to win this tournament, and I don't know what she and Kirin might do to make sure I don't. You don't have to like me, all I'm asking is that you watch my back until we have to fight each other. You look out for me, and I'll look out for you. Deal?"

After thinking to himself for a moment, Ryouga raised his head and looked over at her. "Fine. I still don't completely trust you though."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Meilin assured him, standing up and brushing herself off. "Let's go back and start warming up. It won't be too long before the tournament starts."

* * *

Once Ryouga and Meilin hopped down onto the arena floor, they walked over next to the box where Monlon, Ebitan, Lychee, and Kirin were seated. Looking over to the other side of the arena, they saw that the cloaked person they'd exchanged stares with earlier was the only other entrant present. He had his arms folded across his chest and was looking down at the ground, unmoving as he leaned against the barrier separating the floor and the first row of seats, the handle of a weapon still plainly visible behind his back.

"That guy again," Meilin said as she leered over at him. "Look at him, acting all tough. I'll show him just how weak he is once this thing starts."

"Don't underestimate people," Ryouga said to her. "If this guy's strong, he probably won't use his best moves until the later rounds."

"If that's the case, I hope I get him in the first round," Meilin said arrogantly. "I'll knock him out quick while he's still planning on holding back."

Looking for some details on how things would work, Ryouga raised his head and looked up at Ebitan. "Hey, how are the matches decided?"

"I picked them at random," Ebitan replied, holding his clipboard up. "There were thirty-two entrants, so we'll have five rounds."

"That works," Ryouga said. "Let us know when it's time to start."

While they waited, Ryouga and Meilin walked away from the barrier and began warming themselves up. Time passed quickly as they got ready for their matches, but they couldn't help noticing that none of the other fighters were showing up. After a while, both of them went back over to the royal box to ask about it.

"Hey, aren't the others kind of late?" Ryouga asked Kirin.

"Kirin agrees. The tournament starts in five minutes. More of them should have arrived by now," Kirin said to him. "Ebitan, go check on their status."

"Yes, sire," Ebitan replied obediently, hopping out of his seat and running toward the area where he'd led the entrants earlier.

"So, the other slaves didn't want to come watch today?" Meilin asked venomously as she stared up at Kirin.

"Watch your tongue when addressing Master Kirin!" Monlon snapped at her younger sister.

Kirin chuckled a bit, unaffected by Meilin's harsh words. "As Kirin is allowing you to participate in this tournament, it would be preferable if you acted more civil, Meilin. The other guardians are looking after the mountain, as they have chosen to do."

Meilin turned her head and spat on the ground. "I bet..."

"If you are here with this man, does that mean the story of Li's death is true?" Kirin asked her.

"That's right," Meilin replied, shooting him a cold look. "What about it?"

Kirin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding. "Kirin is sorry for your loss."

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Meilin yelled angrily. "You...you caused him nothing but grief!"

"That's enough!" Monlon snarled, but Kirin raised his hand to stop her from going any further.

"You are correct," Kirin said, looking somewhat sad. "Kirin never should have allowed Li to continue using Yanlou. For making such a poor decision, Kirin is truly sorry."

Meilin was about to continue chiding him, but she and Ryouga spun around as they heard Ebitan shouting behind them.

"Sire, it's terrible! All of the fighters are unconscious! Completely knocked out!" Ebitan yelled.

"What?!" Monlon said in a surprised voice, then looking down at her sister. "Did you do this?!"

"No, she was with me the whole time," Ryouga said, jumping in immediately.

Meilin blinked as she looked over at Ryouga. She'd been ready to get confrontational with her sister and wasn't expecting him to jump to her defense so quickly.

"Then...it was that person?" Ebitan said, joining everyone else in staring over at the person in the black cloak. "He's the one that just gave his name as Y earlier..."

Ryouga's mood became more serious as he studied the person in the cloak. "If there's three of us here, that means he took out twenty-nine fighters on his own."

Meilin couldn't help smiling at the thought of the challenge. "Sounds fun. But what'll we do since there's only three of us?"

"Don't worry, Master Kirin will figure something out," Ebitan said to them. "You two just head to the middle of the-"

Ebitan went silent as he and everyone else saw the cloaked person suddenly appear behind Meilin, who spun around immediately when she heard the smack of flesh right behind her head. When she turned and looked, she saw Ryouga glaring at the cloaked person with their outstretched right arm caught in his grasp.

"It's a little early for that. Why don't you wait until they decide the matches?" Ryouga said in a stern tone.

As the cloaked person backed away, they seemed to nod their head, acknowledging Ryouga's request before walking to the middle of the arena floor.

"You...stopped him from attacking me?" Meilin asked Ryouga, still surprised at how fast everything had just happened.

"I watch your back, you watch mine. Right?" Ryouga said to her.

"Y-yeah, right," Meilin replied, watching Y as he walked away. "But...wasn't he just on the other side of the arena? How did he get behind me so fast?"

Kirin was intrigued, to say the least, by what he'd just seen. "Ebitan, keep an eye on that person."

"Yes, sire," Ebitan replied nervously. He'd seen the kind of speed Y had just displayed before, but not by anyone that was supposed to be alive at the moment.

After everything had calmed down, Kirin stood up and addressed the crowd in Mandarin. "_Everyone, thank you for attending this tournament, which is being held in celebration of the news that my wife, Lychee, and I are expecting our first child!_"

The crowd of nearly two thousand stood and gave Kirin a loud ovation before allowing him to continue.

"_Due to certain circumstances, the three fighters standing before you are the only ones able to participate in today's tournament,_" Kirin continued. "_Therefore, there shall be only one match today! Ryouga Hibiki, Meilin, and Y will face each other at the same time, and the victor shall receive any favor they ask from myself and the Seven Lucky Gods!_"

Ryouga looked over at Meilin as the crowd began to roar once again. "What did he just say?"

"Me, you, and this Y guy are facing each other at the same time," Meilin smiled, not seeming to mind Kirin's decision.

Once the crowd calmed down, Kirin began explaining the rules of the match. "_Here are the rules. A combatant is eliminated if they either step outside the barrier surrounding the floor or lose consciousness. The last one standing shall be declared the victor!_"

"He says don't leave the barrier around the floor and don't get knocked out," Meilin said to Ryouga before distancing herself from him.

"Got it," Ryouga replied. This was perfect. With he and Meilin working together, they could take out this Y person first. He would have to fight Meilin afterwards, which was something he didn't want to do, but he could worry about it when the time came, he thought.

The crowd roared in anticipation as the fighters spread out into a triangle around the arena floor. Ryouga had his weighty umbrella in hand and Meilin had her snake sword ready, but they both noticed that Y left his weapon strapped to his back.

As Kirin looked down at Ryouga, Meilin, and Y, he noted that they all appeared ready to begin. Ryouga was looking over at Y, fully intending to start off by attacking him, when he noticed that Meilin was staring at him.

Meilin winked slightly at Ryouga and shot him a smile, making him unsure about her intentions. Was she going to attack Y or attack him? He prepared for either case, taking up a defensive stance as he watched for an attack from both sides.

Finally ready to start the battle, Kirin grinned and raised his hand high into the air. "_Begin!_"

Ryouga had his eyes fixated on Y again as the fight officially began, but he quickly turned his head to the left when he saw Meilin's snake sword flying directly at him.

Swiftly raising his umbrella, Ryouga batted aside the lead blade of Meilin's sword once it came within range and began running to his right. Meilin was persistent in her attack though, and continued to maneuver the sword so that it continuously came back at him after he deflected it.

Ryouga had no idea what she was thinking, but he knew he had to fight back. After batting Meilin's sword away once more, he pulled his arm back and drilled his finger into the ground. "Bakusai Tenketsu!!"

Shards of rock flew everywhere and the area around Ryouga was covered in a cloud of dust and dirt after he used his breaking point technique, something that drew a chorus of cheers from the impressed audience. Meilin, confident that it was a simple smoke screen trick and that Ryouga would come running out at any moment, pulled her sword back and began flailing it around inside the smoke covered area. She was surprised, however, when she didn't feel her weapon striking anything. As she retracted her sword and waited for the smoke to clear, she noticed that Ryouga was no longer there.

Meilin began looking up into the crowd to see if Ryouga had run away, but still she saw nothing. When she suddenly began to feel the ground shake, she jumped into the air and watched as it exploded beneath her. She was trying to shield herself from all of the rock shards that were flying at her when she saw one of Ryouga's bandanas headed her way. Unable to avoid it, she simply blocked it with her forearm. The impact of the bandana left a nasty stinging sensation and a cut on her arm, causing her to grimace as she landed on the ground. The audience again applauded as they saw Ryouga come out of the dust cloud and prepare to continue his attack.

Up in the royal box, the Seven Lucky Gods members began conversing as they looked on.

"_This was an excellent idea to have them fight at the same time, Master Kirin,_" Ebitan said to him.

"_I did not see any other choice. This was the only fair way to handle the situation,_" Kirin replied.

Monlon shifted her gaze to the cloaked man who was watching Meilin and Ryouga fight each other. "_That Y guy is smart. He's just going to sit and wait for one of them to finish the other off, and then the one that's still standing will be tired and easy to defeat._"

Kirin placed his hand on his chin as he looked on at the battle. "_I am not sure about Ryouga, but Meilin was not trained to be so careless. I believe she has a clever plan in mind to ensure her victory._"

"_Master Kirin is right. I could say plenty of bad things about her, but she's no dummy,_" Ebitan said in agreement.

Back on the arena floor, Ryouga was staring at Meilin, waiting for her to make another move when he noticed that she seemed to be motioning her eyes to his left ever so slightly. Curious, Ryouga peeked over his left shoulder and noticed that Y was standing there.

Was Meilin trying to tell him something, Ryouga wondered?

He didn't have much time to think about it though as he saw that Meilin was raising her sword to attack again. Before that, however, she once again batted her eyes in Y's direction. Finally, Ryouga understood what Meilin was trying to tell him. He had to admit, it was a good plan. Taking up a defensive stance and readying his umbrella once more, Ryouga shot Meilin a little smirk to acknowledge that he understood, something that Y couldn't see as he was facing Ryouga's back.

Ready for action, Meilin once again unleashed her snake sword. Ryouga was batting the sword away with his umbrella frantically, all the while moving backward to get out of it's attack range. Meilin pressed on though, and ran forward as she attacked. After moving their battle to the point on the arena floor that he was looking for, Ryouga changed tactics and once again used his breaking point technique. Several times he jammed his finger into the ground, sending plumes of dirt and dust everywhere that shrouded himself, Meilin, and Y.

It was at this point that Y made his first move of the battle, jumping into the air to get out of the smoke cloud. Unfortunately for him, this was exactly what Meilin and Ryouga were waiting for. Out of the smoke came both of them, their eyes locked on Y, Meilin swinging her snake sword and Ryouga throwing a handful of bandanas. Y put on an impressive display of maneuverability though, and unleashed a powerful swipe of his hand that sent the snake sword flying back at Meilin and planting the blades in the ground behind her. He swiped twice more, tearing apart all of the bandanas, but what he didn't notice was the closed up umbrella flying at him like a rocket from behind the last one. The head of the hefty umbrella struck Y in the gut, causing him to grab his stomach in pain and fall to one knee as he landed on the ground. The crowd let out a mix of cheers and boos as the exchange came to an end and Ryouga snagged his umbrella from the air, some excited about the action and others upset by the two-on-one tactics of Ryouga and Meilin.

"_That was an impressive show of teamwork,_" Kirin said before looking over at Y. "_That technique the cloaked person was using is familiar somehow though..._"

"_You were right, Meilin did have a plan in mind,_" Lychee added as she looked on excitedly.

"_He must have taken more damage than I thought. Look at him shaking,_" Monlon pointed out, not exactly thrilled to see her sister with the upper hand, but impressed by the teamwork nonetheless.

It wasn't hard for anyone in the arena to notice that Y was shaking violently while he stood back up. Neither Meilin nor Ryouga knew what to think when he began breathing heavily and growling. Neither of them believed that Ryouga's one attack could cause such violent reactions, so Y's demeanor was a mystery at this point.

Ebitan blinked a few times as he stared at the cloaked person. "_Hey, I don't think he's hurt. I think he's just angry..._"

He and the rest watched as Y suddenly lunged at Meilin with speed that surprised even her. Y reached back with his right arm and swiped fiercely at her face, which she barely evaded. Meilin could feel a trickle of blood coming from the bridge of her nose as she took several leaps back to get some distance between herself and Y. Her enraged opponent had no intentions of waiting for her though, and charged after her. Trying to slow him down, Meilin began swinging her snake sword at Y as she moved away from him. Over and over, Meilin's blades came close to taking one of Y's limbs off, but his evasive skills were nothing to make light of and he somehow avoided every strike without taking any damage. As they continued their exchange, Ryouga began running toward them to help Meilin out.

Meilin was beginning to notice that Y wasn't only keeping her close, but he was closing in on her quickly. Once he got within an acceptable distance, Y took to the air and attempted one last leap that would put him within attacking distance of his white-haired opponent. The reality that running was no longer of any use becoming very clear, Meilin made a quick decision to change her form of attack. With Y closing in on her from above, Meilin took the red gourd from her waist and filled her mouth with its liquid before blowing an immense wave of fire into the air, consuming Y in the flames.

The audience let out a gasp as they saw Meilin's fire attack, but they were even more astonished when Y came spinning out of the flames wrapped in his singed and smoking cloak. Unable to defend in time, Meilin felt the force of Y's heel against her chin when he unleashed a vicious kick after landing on the ground. Meilin flipped around in the air from the force of the kick before coming down to the ground and skidding to a halt on one knee. She was slightly stunned from the blow, but she didn't have time to recover as Y immediately came at her to finish her off.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!!"

Out of nowhere, Ryouga used his breaking point technique on the ground in front of Y, who leaped back out of the ensuing dust cloud as Ryouga took off after him. Trying to buy some time for Meilin to compose herself, Ryouga continued to use his breaking point technique to send rocks flying at Y and keep him busy. He didn't need to keep it up for long, however, as he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Meilin was up and looking ready to fight again.

This Y person was proving to be a handful, but Ryouga was confident that he and Meilin could wear him out and eliminate him. After using his breaking point once more, he heard Meilin begin to yell out to him.

"Ryouga, move!"

As the plume of dust and rocks from his breaking point enveloped Y, Ryouga quickly turned and began running away. Once he came to a halt, he saw that Meilin had extended her snake sword high into the air above the dust cloud. In a move that brought the crowd to its feet, Meilin snapped the sword down and flipped a small latch on the hilt. Everyone watched as the connections between each of the sword's segments came apart and the numerous blades rained down at lightning speed into the cloud.

"Feel the pain of the Serpent's Tears attack," Meilin said as she smiled coldly.

While the crowd let out a loud cheer and began chanting Meilin's name, Monlon actually cracked a smile as she looked on from the royal box. Her sister was putting on a fantastic show for the audience. Ryouga continued looking at the lingering dust cloud for any signs of movement as he walked over to the white-haired woman.

"Not bad," Ryouga said to her.

"Just be happy you weren't on the receiving end of it," Meilin replied with a smirk. "I made some adjustments to my sword while my injuries from five months ago were healing. That was one of them. I don't think he'll be a problem anymore."

"Guess you can only do it once per fight though, huh?" Ryouga asked, pointing out the sword in her hand, which was now nothing more than the hilt and one blade.

"It doesn't matter," Meilin said to him. "Even now, I won't need my whole sword to defeat you."

Once the cloud of dust began to dissipate, the crowd looked on silently, as did Ryouga and Meilin, when they saw Y on one knee amongst the blades sticking out of the ground. Slowly, he managed to stand up, drops of blood dripping from a gash across his right arm and another across his right leg. He was lucky enough to avoid any fatal damage, but he couldn't avoid everything. Still, Ryouga and Meilin figured his movements would be slowed and more restricted now with the wounds he'd sustained. But as he clenched his fists and began shaking angrily again, the part of Y's cloak that had been covering his left arm fell to the ground, having been severed by another of Meilin's blades. It was then that Meilin and the occupants of the royal box saw something they couldn't believe.

"_M-Master Kirin! That's..._" Ebitan said, staring intently at Y's left arm.

"_What...what is the meaning of this?!_" Kirin stammered.

Ryouga looked over at Meilin curiously, who was in awe of what she was seeing. "Hey, what's wrong...?"

Y stretched out his left arm, which was covered in a strange black armor, and turned his palm upward. Kirin and the others were even more shocked as five spheres of light appeared in Y's palm. Many people in the crowd looked on silently in confusion about what was happening, but no one was as confused as the woman standing next to Ryouga.

"It...it can't be..." Meilin said, shaking as she looked over at Y. "There's only two people I've ever seen do that, Jynn and...Li...but he's...dead. Is that you, Jynn?"

As the spheres of light rapidly spread out and sank into the ground, Y hissed a venomous reply in her direction.

"Wrong..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 14**


	15. Yanlou's Grasp

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Most of the audience wasn't aware of what they were seeing, but the Seven Lucky Gods members were all on the edge of their seats after seeing the spheres of light scatter from Y's palm.

"_Master Kirin...is this person capable of using the Shift technique?_" Monlon asked in Mandarin.

"_It would seem so,_" Kirin replied, directing his attention to the weapon sticking out from behind the person known as Y. "_Black armor on his arm and the ability to use that technique...could that weapon possibly be...?_"

With the Nekonron crowd looking on in anticipation and a perplexed Meilin standing beside him, an impatient Ryouga turned to Y and held his hands out in front of him.

"You won't stand up after this!" he yelled. Summoning strength from the depths of despair within, Ryouga formed a ball of emotion-powered energy in his hands. "Shi Shi Hokodan!"

The arena was silent as the ball of energy in Ryouga's possession vanished into nothingness.

Ryouga blinked in confusion as he looked down at his hands. "H-huh?"

Unsure of what had happened, he attempted to use his Shi Shi Hokodan once more, but for some reason he couldn't maintain it and it again disappeared.

Shaking off the shock from seeing Y's armor-covered left arm, Meilin turned and looked over at her temporary partner. "What are you doing?!"

"I-I don't know! This always works, dam-!" Ryouga began to say, but he was cut off when Y suddenly appeared in front of him and drove his fist into Ryouga's gut.

With the wind knocked out of him, Ryouga felt a sharp sting from Y's knee striking his chin and was knocked off his feet. Y then jumped into the air and kicked Ryouga in the chest from above, sending him flying violently into the ground.

While the crowd roared and gave Y a standing ovation for the incredible display of speed as he landed perfectly on the ground, Meilin glared angrily at him and raised her sword into the air.

"Bastard!" Meilin yelled, swinging her sword down at Y. But by the time her sword reached him, Y had vanished.

Meilin let out a gasp as she saw Y's armor-covered arm wrap around her abdomen from behind. "Crap!"

The audience looked on with amazement as Y and Meilin disappeared and then reappeared next to the royal box. Kirin and the others watched intently as Y tossed Meilin over his head, dumping her into the front row at the feet of her sister, Monlon.

Meilin, somewhat surprised that Y hadn't attacked her, pulled herself up with the help of the stone barrier separating the crowd and the fighting area and leered over at Y as he turned around to look at her. "Why, you-!"

"_Meilin has been eliminated!_" Kirin suddenly shouted, raising his hand into the air.

"_What?!_" Meilin shrieked.

"_You stepped outside the barrier,_" Kirin said, pointing down at her feet.

Shaking with frustration as she looked down at her feet, Meilin slammed her fist into the barrier. "_Damn! DAMN!_"

Raising her head to look up at her sister, Meilin bit down on her bottom lip and struck the barrier again.

"_Too bad, little sister,_" Monlon said with a smirk. "_Looks like you won't be receiving any favor from us._"

With his attention focused on Meilin, Y quickly spun around when he heard something coming toward him. He had little time to react as he saw the gigantic mass of energy that was Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan soaring his way.

Kirin's eyes went wide as he saw Y pull out a black scythe from his back and hold it out in front of him. As Y braced himself for the impact, Ryouga's attack slammed into him and knocked him into the barrier with incredible force, drawing a gasp from the crowd and forcing Meilin and the Seven Lucky Gods members to shield themselves.

Once the blast of energy faded, Ryouga stood panting as he looked at the cloud of dirt his Shi Shi Hokodan had kicked up. "How was that...you jerk..."

Audience members began chatting amongst themselves while they waited for the cloud of dirt to clear, anxiously wanting to see if Y had been defeated.

Kirin, who had leaned over to shield Lychee from the attack, slowly stood up and looked below to get a glimpse of Y and his scythe.

"_M-Master Kirin...that scythe...most surely, it was..._" Ebitan stammered.

"_Yes, that was undoubtedly Yanlou,_" Kirin said nervously. "_But...who is in possession of it?_"

As a gust of wind blew through the arena and the cloud began to clear, the black cloak that had kept Y's identity a secret fell down through the air and landed softly on the ground.

Everyone cheered as they saw Y's body embedded into the stone barrier with his scythe held out in front of him. With his black pigtail resting on his right shoulder, Y began cackling as he pulled himself out of the wall and stood facing the one who had attacked him.

Ryouga's mouth dropped open in awe when he first saw the man. "R-Ran..."

Next to the stone barrier stood none other than Ranma Saotome, dressed only in a tattered pair of white pants and black shoes. He smiled coldly over at his opponent with Yanlou grasped tightly in his left hand and the entire left side of his body covered in its black armor. "Yo, Ryouga..."

"R-Ranma...what...what happened to you...?" Ryouga stammered, almost in disbelief at the state he saw his rival in.

"What happened?" Ranma repeated, laughing darkly as he slowly began moving toward Ryouga. "What didn't happen?! Just look at me, man! Isn't this great?!"

Up in the royal box, everyone was standing and looking at Ranma in complete shock.

"_That's...Saotome. He...why does he have Li's scythe?_!" Meilin yelled.

"_Ranma! What happened to him?!_" Lychee cried out as she looked at him.

"_M-Master Kirin! This is bad! Saotome's been taken over by that cursed scythe!_" Ebitan said in a panic. "_We must stop him, now!_"

Kirin was none too happy to see that Ranma was in possession of an awakened Yanlou, but he wasn't ready to act just yet. Something seemed strange to him about Ranma's demeanor. "_No...we shall sit and observe a bit longer..._"

"_What?! Master Kirin, you should know how dangerous he is in this state!_" Ebitan shouted.

"_I am well aware of that, Ebitan,_" Kirin said, continuing to watch nervously as Ranma walked toward Ryouga. "_But look at him...there must be some reason that only half of his body is covered with Yanlou's armor..._"

Ebitan blinked as he looked Ranma over again. "_You mean...Saotome is still in control of himself?_"

"_It is possible,_" Kirin said to him. "_I would like to see how this plays out. If it becomes clear that he is a threat then we will step in and incapacitate him, but not yet_."

While Ranma continued to trudge forward, Ryouga's expression changed from one of surprise to one of rage. After everything he'd put everyone through with his disappearance, Ranma actually had the nerve to smile, he thought to himself.

"Ranma! What's wrong with you?!" Ryouga yelled at him.

Ranma tilted his head as he stared back at him. "What're you talkin' about?"

"Don't you act like you don't know!" Ryouga snapped. "Why haven't you come back to Japan yet?! Where have you been for the past five months?!"

"Oh, that," Ranma replied with a grin, twirling Yanlou around in his hand. "I was havin' fun, so I thought I'd stay here. 'Sides, everyone in Japan was annoyin', y'know?"

Ryouga clenched his fists and snarled at his pigtailed rival. "Akane...she cried because you didn't come back...and you don't care one bit?"

Stopping a short distance from him, Ranma burst out laughing and stared at Ryouga with a wild look in his eyes. "Akane?! That tomboy?! Good, I'm glad she's cryin'..."

Ryouga couldn't believe the words he'd just heard come out of Ranma's mouth at first. "What...did you say?"

"You hard of hearin'?!" Ranma shouted back at him maniacally. "I said I'm glad Akane's cryin'!"

A bead of sweat rolled down Kirin's face as he kept his eyes locked on the pigtailed boy. "_Ranma...is trying to make Ryouga angry._"

"_You think so, Master Kirin?_" Monlon asked him.

"_I do not believe Ranma would say such things about Akane Tendo otherwise,_" Kirin replied. "_I wonder...what is he trying to accomplish?_"

With the sun beaming down from above, everyone watched as a bright orange sphere of energy began to grow in Ryouga's palm.

Ranma again tilted his head as he looked over at his rival. "What the heck's that?"

The ball of energy continuing to slowly expand, Ryouga raised his head and glared furiously into Ranma's eyes. "How dare you?! How dare you say such things about Akane?! I won't forgive you for that, Ranma!"

"Ohh?" Ranma said, smiling crazily as he thrust the handle of Yanlou into the ground in front of him. "Well go ahead and do somethin' about it, pig boy!"

Meilin narrowed her eyes as she looked at Ryouga from the royal box. "_Hey, that's...the technique he was practicing on the way here..._"

As the energy in Ryouga's palm swelled to the size of his head, Kirin noticed something unusual happening with Ranma's body. The armor that covered his left side was beginning to recede back into the scythe. But it stopped all of a sudden as Ranma tensed up and grasped Yanlou as tight as he could.

"What's wrong with you?! Hurry up and attack me, you pig! I ain't goin' back to Akane unless you force me, so do it!" Ranma yelled frantically, a pained look beginning to show in his eyes.

"_That's it!_" Kirin exclaimed, slamming his hands on the top of the stone barrier. "_Ranma wants Ryouga to destroy Yanlou!_"

Everyone watched as Ryouga dug his feet into the ground and faced his right palm forward. His mind was so blinded with rage that it didn't even occur to him how surprised he should be that he was successfully using the technique that Happosai had taught him.

"You're coming back to Japan with me whether you like it or not!" Ryouga shouted. "Happo Solar Flare!"

An immense explosion of heat and light sent people diving for cover as the ball of energy in Ryouga's hand shot toward Ranma and made direct contact with his scythe. An enormous plume of dirt shot into the air from the impact and then began raining down into the crowd as everyone tried to regain their senses. Once the spectators were assured that others around them were okay, they looked down toward the arena floor to observe the results of Ryouga's insane attack.

Ryouga himself was lying on the ground facing upward, having been knocked on his back from the recoil of firing the Happo Solar Flare. The sleeve on his right arm was burned and his entire hand was still smoking. Around the arena floor, the stone barrier was cracked and crumbling in some areas. Members of the crowd were in awe of the damage they saw.

As the Seven Lucky Gods members in the royal box raised their heads, they saw a large crater where Ranma had been standing.

"_What...what on earth was that?_!" Ebitan yelled, his ears still ringing from the blast.

"_It was like a bomb exploded,_" Lychee said, still feeling stunned.

As Meilin opened her eyes, she saw that her sister had her arms wrapped around her in an attempt to protect her. Angrily, she pulled herself out of Monlon's grasp and glared up at her. "_What do you think you're doing?_!"

Monlon blinked in confusion as she looked down at her hands, not knowing herself why she'd just tried to protect Meilin. Protecting her sister in spite of everything that had happened between them, was it just a natural reaction, she wondered?

Coughing as he looked through the dust cloud, Kirin jumped back as a shard of metal suddenly fell from the sky and planted itself into the top of the barrier in front of him. "_This...this is...Yanlou's blade! It was...destroyed?! That is...!_"

As he lay on the ground, Ryouga groaned, his body feeling sore and exhausted after executing the Happo Solar Flare. "You weren't kidding...old man. That technique's...no joke. Oww...I really overdid it...letting it get that big..."

Leaning his head forward, Ryouga, along with everyone else in the arena, was shocked to see Ranma hop out of the crater and land next to Ryouga's feet. His left arm was covered in blood and had a bone sticking out of it, but even more disturbing was what looked like an ethereal being swirling around his body. While the last bits of Yanlou's black armor crumbled from his face and fell to the ground, the spirit cried out the name "Jusenkyo" and then entered Ranma's body through his chest.

"_Jusenkyo?_!" Kirin exclaimed. "_Then...it is true..._"

Once the spirit had vanished into Ranma's body, he clutched at his left arm and fell to his knees, crying out in pain. The Seven Lucky Gods members and Meilin wasted no time hopping down to the arena floor and rushing over to Ranma and Ryouga.

"Ryouga, are you alright?!" Meilin asked, kneeling down by his head.

Kirin felt pity from the bottom of his heart as he looked down at the pigtailed boy. "Ranma...how long were you fighting against Yanlou?"

Shaking with pain, Ranma slowly raised his head from the ground. "Ever since...I fought Li..."

"That whole time..." Kirin replied in amazement. "And you intentionally made Ryouga angry so he would destroy it for you."

Ryouga was struggling to stay awake as he stared over at his bloodied rival. "Ranma...you...didn't mean those things...about Akane?"

Rather than answer his question, Ranma grabbed Ryouga by the shirt with his right hand and looked at him with a pained expression on his face. "Ryouga...what happened...to Shampoo?"

"Shampoo?" Ryouga asked, confused about why Ranma would need to ask him such a thing. "You mean...you don't know...?"

"That scythe...I didn't know...how long I could keep control over it," Ranma replied, clearly hurting badly. "I...I couldn't go near...Joketsuzoku. What...what happened to her, Ryouga...?"

Ryouga was finally beginning to realize what Ranma had been through for the last five months. It really wasn't his fault, he thought as he looked up at his rival. "Ringo...and that Jynn guy...they found her...and took her to Aroma. She...she was a mess, but...she lived. She should still...be there..."

"In Joketsuzoku?" Ranma asked him.

"Yeah," Ryouga replied.

Everyone stepped back as Ranma slammed his right hand on the ground and a bright blue light appeared beneath him.

"Th-this is...!" Meilin stammered.

"Shift!" Ranma cried out. The people in the crowd gasped as they watched Ranma vanish.

Finally overcome with exhaustion, Ryouga laid his head back down and closed his eyes. "I...need a nap..."

"H-hey..." Meilin said, placing her hand against his forehead. "He fell asleep."

She and the others standing around Ryouga raised their heads and looked up at the crowd as people began to stand and applaud the battle they'd just witnessed. With everything that had just happened, Kirin and the others had almost forgotten the reason they were all there.

"_Master Kirin, should we declare a winner?_" Monlon asked him.

Kirin looked around the arena for a moment before smiling over at her. "_Yes, I believe we should._"

Raising his hand into the air to signal that the crowd quiet down, Kirin looked down at Ryouga once more before turning his attention to the spectators. "_Your attention, please! Ryouga is no longer conscious, however, Y left the arena floor while Ryouga was still awake and thus was eliminated. Therefore, the winner of the tournament is Ryouga Hibiki!_"

A loud roar erupted from the crowd in appreciation of Ryouga's efforts.

Meilin simply let out a sigh as she looked down at his sleeping face. "Too bad you passed out. You can't hear everyone cheering for you, you dope."

* * *

At the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku, women let out gasps as a mentally and physically exhausted Ranma stumbled forward with blood dripping from his arms and right leg due to the injuries he'd sustained fighting Meilin and Ryouga. The impact of Ryouga's Happo Solar Flare had broken his left arm, which was causing him horrible pain, but all he cared about at the moment was making it to the home that Aroma and Shampoo shared.

Slamming open the door to the home with his right hand, Ranma fell to his knees and clutched at his left arm. "Shampoo!"

It was a couple of seconds before Ranma heard the sound of footsteps coming from the kitchen to his left. Could it really be her? Was she really alive and well?

When a familiar Amazon with long, brown hair ran into the entryway to her home, she was stunned at the sight of Ranma kneeling on the floor. "Ranma..."

"Aroma..." Ranma said, blinking as he looked up at her. "Whe-"

Ranma's question was interrupted by a fierce slap across his cheek from Shampoo's older sister.

"Where have you been?!" Aroma screamed at him.

The pigtailed boy looked up at her in surprise, not knowing what to say.

"Shampie was waiting for you the whole time!" Aroma yelled, tears beginning to run down her face. "Laying in bed recovering all that time, she was sure you'd walk through our door any day. Even when Granny kept telling her you were gone, she never gave up. And you have to show up now of all times!"

Ranma watched as Aroma dropped to her knees and began wiping the tears from her face.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hit you," Aroma said to him quietly. "It's just...seeing how she was when Jynn and Ringo brought her here was terrible. She almost died. And then to watch her hopes for you to show up go unanswered when she was getting better...it was so painful, Ranma. When she was younger, I was a terrible sister to her, always turning her away when she wanted to do something because I wanted to study and do nothing else. She still hates me for that, but I always try to make it up to her. That's why...it hurt so bad seeing that disappointed look in her eyes when you never showed up for her."

"I'm...sorry," Ranma said with a look of remorse on his face. "I...wanted to come here so bad, but I...I had to stay away. What...what happened to her...?"

Aroma was about to answer him, but it was then that she noticed the bone sticking out of his left arm. "My god, your arm...what happened?!"

Ranma cringed as Aroma bent down and grabbed the mangled limb. "It's...nothing..."

Feeling the arm over, Aroma narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. "Your forearm is broken in two places and the bone is sticking out of your skin. I wouldn't call this nothing."

"Forget that! Where's Shampoo?!" Ranma snapped.

"She's gone," Aroma said with a sigh.

"Gone?" Ranma asked, sounding confused.

Behind the two, a woman with black hair peeked her head in the door to see what was going on. "_Are you okay, Aroma? Everyone was worried when they saw this guy storm in here._"

"_I'm fine,_" Aroma told her. "_Get your equipment. We need to operate on this man's arm right away._"

"_R-right!_" the woman stammered before running off to gather her things.

Ranma continued to clutch at his arm as he got to his feet. "Who was that...?"

"An aid of mine," Aroma replied. "Follow me. We're going to fix that arm of yours."

Angered by the change in subject, Ranma defiantly stepped away from her. "Look, just tell me where Shampoo is!"

"Calm down! She's not in any danger!" Aroma yelled back at him. "I'll explain everything to you, so just follow me."

Worn out and tired of resisting, Ranma reluctantly followed Aroma into an operating room of sorts and laid down on a table as instructed.

After putting on some surgical gear and locating her anesthetic, Aroma began filling a syringe with the liquid as Ranma cringed on the table. "Shampie...is getting married."

"What?!" Ranma said, nearly falling off the table. "She's gettin' married?! Seriously?!"

Aroma let out a sigh and set the syringe down on the table. "Not by choice, but yes..."

Ranma wasn't sure what to think about this as he stared over at the brown-haired Amazon, but somehow he really didn't feel good about it.

"I'll tell you something, Ranma. If Shampie had never met you, she would have already been married by now," Aroma said to him. "She's one of the best fighters in this village, and it's common to set up marriages between the best male and female warriors of different Amazon tribes. The only reason she isn't married yet is because she was so insistent on marrying you. She could only defy Granny's wishes for so long though."

"So...she just...agreed to let the old hag marry her off?" Ranma asked.

"Hardly," Aroma replied. "She was still refusing, so Granny made a deal with her. She said that if Shampie could find you in one month then she could keep pursuing you. If she couldn't find you, Granny would choose a suitor and Shampie would marry him."

"And...?" Ranma asked her.

"That month ran out two weeks ago," Aroma said, looking none too happy. "Shampie and Granny left here after that to find someone for her to marry."

With a mix of different thoughts running through his head, Ranma lifted his right hand up and put it over his face. Of course, he was more relieved than anything that she was alive and well after seeing Li's attack strike her during their battle. Not knowing what had become of her was agonizing for him during the time he spent keeping Yanlou from taking total control of his body. But hearing that Shampoo was going to be married made him feel genuinely upset.

"You know, Granny said she'd send me an invitation so I could attend the wedding. They won't go through with it until I get there," Aroma said as she began organizing the tools needed for the procedure on Ranma's arm. "Of course, that doesn't mean I have to come alone."

Ranma raised his hand up from his face and looked over at her as Aroma quirked an eyebrow in his direction and managed a slight smile.

"The question is, what are you going to do?" she asked him.

* * *

As a drowsy Ryouga opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at the orange sky as sunset approached. Groaning as he tried to lift his head from his backpack which was placed beneath him like a pillow, he looked around and saw three familiar figures around him.

"What happened?" Ryouga asked.

"You passed out and took a nap for a few hours," Meilin replied. She was sitting cross-legged next to him and was in the process of reassembling her snake sword. "Everyone that was watching our fight already left. You sure do sleep a lot."

Letting his head fall back down to the backpack, Ryouga raised his right arm into the air and noticed that it was bandaged from the elbow to his fingertips. He'd expected it to hurt more after firing off the large Happo Solar Flare, but surprisingly it didn't hurt much at all.

"Meilin did that," Monlon giggled as she stood next to Kirin. "She even rubbed it down with some ointment first. Seems she's taken a liking to you."

Her face turning red with embarrassment, Meilin pointed her incomplete sword in the direction of her sister. "It's not like that! Shut up!"

Walking over to Ryouga, Kirin knelt down and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah," Ryouga said, letting his arm drop to the arena floor. "I found Ranma...then he disappeared again."

"That was Li's Shift technique he used," Kirin said to him. "Kirin believes he learned it by wielding Yanlou. He most likely went to the place where you said he would find Shampoo."

While Meilin attached the last blade to her sword, Ryouga managed to sit up and strap on his backpack. "If that's where he went, that's where I'm going."

"You're leaving already?" Meilin asked curiously as she looked over at him. "That's awfully sudden."

"Don't go yet. We still owe you a favor for winning the tournament, remember?" Monlon reminded him.

Ryouga seemed confused as he looked over at her. "I...won?"

"That is correct," Kirin replied with a nod. "Ranma was eliminated for leaving the arena floor, therefore you were deemed the victor. Please, tell us the favor that you would like granted."

Making his way to his feet, Ryouga cringed as he stretched out his sore body before looking down at Meilin. "Then...the favor I want..."

Meilin quirked an eyebrow as she stared up at him, curious about what he planned on doing.

"I want...for you to grant her the favor," Ryouga said, pointing down at the white-haired woman.

"What?!" Meilin shrieked.

Monlon and Kirin shared a glance before Kirin responded to the request. "Kirin...does not see any problem with that, but are you certain you have nothing to request for yourself?"

Stumbling as he took his first few steps toward one of the staircases leading upward, Ryouga looked back and nodded. "All I wanted was to find Ranma, and now I know where that jerk is. Let her use the favor."

Meilin sat on the ground stunned as she watched Ryouga begin to slowly ascend the staircase. She'd never expected him to give her the favor he'd earned, especially after he found out about the role she played in bringing Ranma and Shampoo to China.

"_Hey, aren't the Amazon villages in the other direction?_" Monlon said to no one in particular as she eyed Ryouga.

Placing her sword on the ground, Meilin turned and looked up at the leader of the Seven Lucky Gods. "_Kirin...what exactly was that scythe Li was using?_"

"_Yanlou, you mean?_" Kirin asked. "_It was merely an unconfirmed story for quite a while, but after today I believe it to be true. Yanlou...was the weapon used by a sorceress named Jusenkyo several thousand years ago. When Jusenkyo died, the bitterness and hatred of everyone she had killed remained in that scythe. It is believed that Yanlou felt Jusenkyo would return one day, thus it was always trying to find a suitable body to inhabit so that it could destroy the sorceress when she was reborn. As you may have guessed, the place where she died would later come to be known as the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo._"

"_I see,_" Meilin said sadly. "_Do you think...it released Li from its spell so that it could possess Saotome?_"

"_It is possible, yes,_" Kirin replied as he looked down at her. "_In any case, what favor would you like to ask of us, Meilin?_"

Meilin took her eyes off of Kirin and gazed over at Monlon for a moment. Ryouga had read her like a book earlier. Win or lose, she'd planned on fighting against her sister and dying afterward. With Li gone, she'd admittedly given up on life. But somehow, looking into her sister's eyes, the hatred just wasn't there anymore. And for some reason she didn't feel like dying either. Was it all because of him, she wondered?

"_Do you have something in mind?_" Kirin asked again.

Turning toward Kirin, Meilin nodded quietly and looked down at the ground. "_If I get one favor, then...please, forgive Li and I for what we've done._"

Monlon nearly fell over when she heard her sister's request. "_Are you serious?!_"

"_Yes,_" Meilin replied without hesitation.

Placing his hand on his chin, Kirin thought it over for a bit before coming to a decision. "_I hope you realize that this is not easy after what you have done. However, things have changed since then. Li is no longer with us, and I believe that you have changed for the better. As you have requested, we shall forgive the actions of yourself and Li._"

Meilin wiped a tear from her cheek as she smiled up at him. "_Thank you, Kirin._"

After nodding and turning around, Kirin began heading back in the direction of Seven Luck Mountain. "_I must be going back to see my wife, but please, take care of yourself._"

After standing up and brushing herself off, Meilin stared up in the direction where Ryouga had headed. Suddenly feeling a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, she blushed as she looked back and saw that it was her sister behind her.

"_I know a lot of things have happened, but you're still my sister and I still love you,_" Monlon whispered to her, giving her younger sister a kiss on the cheek before letting her go. "_Now hurry up and go help him, you foolish girl._"

An embarrassed Meilin slid her snake sword into its holster behind her back and picked up her belongings as her sister smiled at her from behind. "_I'll come visit when I have time..._"

"_I'll look forward to it,_" Monlon replied happily. "_Don't forget to bring your boyfriend with you._"

"_I told you it's not like that!_" Meilin shouted, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red as she quickly ran off.

As Ryouga continued to stumble along, he looked forward and began to wonder if he was heading the right way. "Ranma...I'll drag you back to Japan if it's the last thing I ever do..."

Ryouga came to a halt as he felt something being placed on his head. Turning around to see what was going on, he was surprised to see none other than Meilin standing behind him.

"You're...giving my hat back?" Ryouga asked, referring to the ushanka on his head.

"Well, I figured it's the least I could do," the white-haired woman said with a shrug before pointing her finger to her left. "By the way, the Amazon village you're looking for is about a ten day walk in that direction."

Looking toward where Meilin was pointing, Ryouga turned and began walking in that direction. "Is it?"

"Yep," Meilin smiled, walking up next to him and putting his arm over her shoulder to help him stay upright. "We'd better get going or you'll lose Saotome again."

"You're...coming with me?" Ryouga asked, blushing slightly as he looked over at her. "I thought you wanted to fight your sister..."

"Change of plans," Meilin replied, sticking her tongue out at him. "You seem interesting, so I'll be hanging out with you for a while. Got a problem with that?"

Ryouga wasn't sure what to make of this situation as Meilin smiled over at him. She'd done some things that he wasn't too happy about, but he didn't really mind being with her. If nothing else, he knew he would have a much easier time making it to Joketsuzoku with the white-haired rogue as his guide. In the end, he decided it couldn't hurt to have her tag along with him.

"Fine by me," Ryouga said to her. "Just don't start any trouble."

"I'll try to behave myself," Meilin said in a sarcastic tone. "Oh, and once you feel better, you'll be teaching me how to do that fireball thing that put a crater in Kirin's arena floor."

"W-what? Hey, wai-" Ryouga began to say, but he was silenced as Meilin reached over and placed a finger over his lips.

"No objections."

* * *

**End of Chapter 15**


	16. Seduction

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

As they came to the top of a hill and the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku came into view, a sense of relief came over the pair who'd traveled across the snow-covered terrain of China for the past ten days.

"Finally," Meilin said, sounding exhausted. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll let us stay indoors for a while."

"If Aroma and Shampoo are there, it shouldn't be a problem," the heavily clothed Ryouga replied.

Meilin and Ryouga had experienced some mild weather during their venture to Nekonron, but it was still early February and that type of luck wasn't likely to last. Another cold front had swept through the area and dumped well over a foot of snow on them during the last week, and the temperature hadn't risen since then. But Ryouga was insistent that they press forward, and now the place where he believed he would find Ranma was within his sights and getting closer with every step.

Ryouga's initial problems with Meilin's past had diminished over the course of their journey as the two of them shared stories with each other. Meilin told Ryouga about being raised at Nekonron and everything that had happened with Li, and Ryouga in turn told her about his storied past with Ranma. The former member of the Seven Lucky Gods wasn't sure how well she and Ryouga would get along at first either, but she'd gradually become more comfortable with the idea of traveling with him to the point that she actually found herself enjoying his company.

Once they entered the village, Meilin began to wonder about whether they would really have a place to stay or not. "Hey, I know you're optimistic and all, but I don't think that Amazon girl is going to want me around."

"We'll figure something out," Ryouga replied, not particularly worried about where they were going to stay at the moment. "For now, just keep an eye out for Ra-oof!"

Ryouga was interrupted when he suddenly felt something heavy land on his head.

"Yo, took ya long enough," a familiar voice said. "Hey, nice hat."

Turning toward Ryouga, Meilin scowled at the person now perched atop his head. "Saotome..."

Annoyed by the gesture as always, Ryouga swung his fist upward and snarled at the man. "Get off my head, you jerk!"

"Whoa!" Ranma said as he hopped down from Ryouga's head, chuckling to himself as he landed on the ground in front of him. "Long time no see, man."

Nostalgic feelings began to surface in Ryouga as he stared at the pigtailed boy. Ranma was wearing his red, Chinese-style shirt that he'd always said was his favorite, along with the rest of his usual attire. But more noticeable than that was his left arm, which was wrapped in a cast and suspended in a dark blue sling. He was also carrying two books with him in his right hand.

"Ranma...your arm..." Ryouga said quietly.

"Yeah, that attack of yours messed it up really bad," Ranma replied, not sounding too upset over it. "If that scythe hadn't blocked most of it tryin' to save itself, I dunno what woulda happened. Who the heck was stupid enough to teach you somethin' dangerous like that, anyway?"

"Happosai," Ryouga told him.

"That old freak? Figures," Ranma said with a grimace on his face. "Oh well, I guess it worked out fine. That scythe got blown to bits and I'm still here. This arm's gonna take a few months to heal though."

His initial surprise wearing off, Ryouga was becoming annoyed at the fact that Ranma was talking so casually with him considering everything that had happened. "Ranma...why are you still here?! Didn't I tell you Akane was waiting for you?!"

"Jeez, relax, will ya? I wanna go back to Japan too," Ranma said.

"Then why haven't you?!" Ryouga snapped back at him.

"'Cause there's somethin' I gotta do first," the pigtailed boy replied, placing his right hand on his hip. "Follow me, I'll tell ya...about..."

Meilin and Ryouga both blinked as Ranma began looking back and forth between them.

"Y'know what, before that, how the heck did you two end up together?" Ranma asked, extremely curious about the unusual pair.

"Coincidence," Meilin replied, peeking over at her partner.

"That's...pretty much how it is," Ryouga said in agreement.

"Huh, and here I thought you only had a thing for Akane," Ranma said to him.

Ryouga felt a chill run down his spine as Meilin shot him a sharp look. "Akane, huh?"

"Um...well..." Ryouga said nervously.

"Just what is this Akane girl to you?" Meilin asked, continuing her interrogation.

Shifting his gaze down toward the ground, Ryouga began twiddling his fingers while he tried to come up with an explanation. "Akane's...well...she's nice...and she talks to me..."

Folding her arms, Meilin turned and looked away from Ryouga with a somewhat annoyed expression on her face. "I talk to you..."

Not that watching the clueless Ryouga dig himself into a hole wasn't entertaining, but Ranma was starting to get cold and he didn't feel like standing outside much longer. "Hey, it's gettin' cold out here and everyone's startin' to give us funny looks. We can talk about stuff all ya want at Aroma's place. 'Sides, I need to get these books back to her."

"Uh, right! We should go there!" Ryouga said quickly as he began walking behind Ranma, trying his best to blow off the Akane discussion.

Meilin simply let out a huff before beginning to follow them. Ryouga hadn't told her anything about Akane, but she was going to find out about her one way or another, she decided.

Upon entering the home, Ranma found Aroma sitting at the table reading a book intently. "Hey, I brought the books you wanted, and a couple guests too."

Aroma looked up from her reading to see who'd entered behind Ranma. "Oh, Ryouga! It's been a while!"

"Yeah, long time no see," Ryouga greeted her. He'd briefly met Aroma when he arrived in China with Jynn, Mousse, and Cologne before taking off on his own.

As Aroma looked at Meilin, her face seemed to light up with amazement. After setting her book aside, she walked up behind the white-haired woman and began running her fingers through her hair. "Ooh, such pretty white hair!"

Meilin felt a great deal of discomfort as the stranger toyed with her hair. "Umm...excuse me..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that must have seemed really rude," the Amazon medical specialist laughed. "I'm Aroma, and who might you be?"

"Meilin," she replied.

"Meilin?" Aroma asked, her expression turning serious. "The same Meilin that left all those nasty scars on my lil' Shampie?"

The white-haired woman was half expecting Aroma to come after her, but, to her surprise, the Amazon just shrugged it off and sat back down at the table.

"Just kidding," Aroma smiled. "Ranma told me that you were with Ryouga, so I figured you might show up here."

"You're...not angry?" Meilin asked her, sounding confused at the sudden change in attitude.

"Holding grudges is bad for the karma," Aroma told her. "Shampie's alive and well, and from the looks of it you've had your own share of troubles, so I'll let bygones be bygones."

Meilin rubbed her fingers against the burn scar on her throat, knowing that was probably what Aroma meant when she mentioned her having her own troubles. "I...guess that's fine..."

Once the rest of them set their belongings on the floor and took a seat at the table, Ryouga wasted no time getting information out of his rival.

"Well, where were you all that time after your fight, Ranma?" Ryouga asked him.

"Get right to the point, don't ya?" Ranma laughed, a somber mood coming over him as he looked down at his right hand.

"You...did you really kill Li?" Meilin asked, glaring at him as she awaited an answer.

Ranma ran his hand through his hair and looked up at the ceiling as he thought back on that day. "I dunno what happened with you, but Shampoo came to where me and Li were fighting. Li attacked her, and I didn't notice she was there 'til it was too late. When I saw her fall to the ground...I just lost it. Then, after...y'know, I accidentally touched Yanlou. After that, everything's kinda blurry..."

"It was trying to take control of you, wasn't it?" Meilin asked.

"Yeah, almost did too," Ranma admitted. "I kept fightin' it off, but it was tough. I couldn't go to a lot of places 'cause I was afraid what I might do if that scythe finally got control over me. I finally took a chance and went to Nekonron when I heard about that tournament. I was hopin' someone there would be able to break Yanlou, and then I saw you and Ryouga there and decided to take out everyone else."

"You...knew we'd be able to break it?" Ryouga asked him.

"Well, I didn't know, but you've given me more of a beating than anyone else so I figured you might be able to," Ranma replied. "You are my rival, ain't ya?"

Ryouga wasn't sure, but it almost felt like Ranma was complimenting him. "That's right. So why can't you go back to Japan? Huh?"

"Oh, that," Aroma interrupted, flipping Meilin a small paper card. "He needs to help me with something first."

"What's this?" Meilin asked as she started reading. "We formally invite you to attend the wedding of Shampoo and...Ming? Huh, so that's why she's not here..."

"Shampoo's getting married?" Ryouga asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, she was gone by the time I got here," Ranma said, scratching his head. "The wedding's in two days. If we leave tomorrow mornin', we should make it in time."

Ryouga understood why Ranma wasn't going back to Japan just yet, but what he didn't get was why exactly Ranma wanted to go to the wedding. "What are you going there for?"

"To stop it," Ranma answered.

"Why? You've never been someone that gets involved in someone else's business, especially Shampoo's, so why?" Ryouga asked, starting to become annoyed with the pigtailed boy. "Isn't Shampoo just moving on with her life? What's wrong with that?"

"I owe her for savin' my life, Ryouga," Ranma told him. "She doesn't want to marry this Ming guy, so I'm gonna stop it. I ain't the kinda guy that backs out on a debt I owe someone."

An uncomfortable silence ensued between the two before Ryouga finally spoke up. "You'll go back to Japan once you get Shampoo?"

Ranma nodded in reply. "You got it."

Taking a deep breath, Ryouga finally calmed himself and sat back in his chair. "Fine, I'll take your word for it. But if you don't, I'll drag you back there myself. Got it?"

"Pff, like you could," Ranma snorted.

"What was that?!" Ryouga snarled angrily at him.

Trying to cool the tension, Aroma stood up and held the two apart. "Now, now, boys, calm down."

"God, men," Meilin said with a sigh. "Can't you just relax for one day?"

"Exactly," Aroma said, nodding in agreement. "Besides, if you keep acting up, you'll get no dinner tonight."

The thought of not being fed striking them like a sledgehammer to their thick heads, Ranma and Ryouga backed down and sat back in their seats again. Women were a powerful force, the two of them thought in unison.

"You two will be staying tonight, right?" Aroma asked Ryouga and Meilin. "Ranma and I will be leaving in the morning, but you're free to stay here until then. All I ask is that you help out with a few chores."

"If that's all, then we'll take you up on that," Ryouga replied. "We could use a night out of the cold."

"Oh, that's right," Ranma said, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, Ryouga, you went back to Jusenkyo, right?"

The blank look on Ryouga's face following Ranma's question made it obvious that he hadn't.

"Are you serious?!" Ranma asked him.

"When would I have had time to do that?!" Ryouga snarled back at him. "I've been wandering all over China looking for you, remember?!"

"Jusenkyo?" Meilin asked. "Why would you want to go there?"

"To get rid of the pig curse!" Ryouga said to her.

Meilin had a somewhat disappointed look on her face as she rested her chin on her palm. "Hmm...that's too bad. I think the piggy's kind of cute."

Ranma gave the dumbfounded Ryouga a sly look as he nudged him with his elbow several times. "Ain't you lucky? You found a girl that knows about the pig and likes it."

"Y-you shut up! It's not like that!" Ryouga yelled out of embarrassment.

Aware of the fact that a certain white-haired woman was staring a hole through him, Ryouga turned away and decided to drop the subject entirely.

"Hey, you think that stuff you used on me would work on him?" Ranma asked Aroma.

The brown-haired Amazon blinked several times as she thought about it. "Well, that depends. Has Ryouga ever thought he was really a pig?"

Ryouga shook his head in response. "Not that I know of..."

"Then I don't want to try it," Aroma replied. "It was dangerous enough trying it on you. I'm not willing to try it when I don't know whether or not there's the personality of a pig in his mind."

"Huh, I guess tha-hey, wait a second...whadya mean dangerous?" Ranma asked, quirking an eyebrow in Aroma's direction. "I thought you said it couldn't hurt me..."

Aroma averted her eyes from the pigtailed boy as he glared over at her. "Did I say that...?"

"Yes, you did!" Ranma yelled. "Are you tellin' me that wasn't safe?!"

"Oh come now, it all worked out fine, didn't it?" Aroma asked, grabbing a glass of water from the table. "You did get rid of the curse..."

Ranma was caught off guard as Aroma suddenly flicked her arm forward and emptied the glass of water all over him.

"Hey, whadya do that for?!" Ranma shrieked. Immediately he noticed something was amiss. Was his voice always this high pitched, he wondered?

Noticing the perplexed look on the faces of everyone sitting around him, particularly Aroma, Ranma reached down and put his right hand against his body. Squeezing the breasts that had blossomed from his chest, he knew there was no mistaking it. He was a girl again.

"Wh...why?!" the redheaded Ranma screamed. "Why...why am I a girl again?! I thought I was cured...!"

Somehow, Ryouga didn't seem too surprised by this development. "You know, when I first saw Ringo, I thought you really might have been cured. Guess that didn't work after all."

"You have got to be kidding me," Aroma muttered, slapping her hand against her face.

Thoroughly amused by what she was seeing, Meilin burst out laughing at Ranma's female form. "So this is what Saotome looks like as a girl?! This is hilarious!"

"It ain't funny! Wh-why am I a girl again, Aroma?!" Ranma asked her frantically. "Is it because of that thing I told you about that came out of that scythe?!"

"I admit, it's a coincidence that it happened to call out the name Jusenkyo, but honestly I doubt it," Aroma said with a sigh. "It just means we never got rid of it in the first place. Separating Ringo from you must have only weakened the curse. It's probably been growing inside you all this time and finally took effect again at some point over the last five months. This isn't the first time I've tried curing people of these things. The power of Jusenkyo's curses really are amazing. Here I thought I'd found something that worked this time too..."

Overcome with depression, Ranma leaned forward and slammed her head down onto the table. "This sucks..."

Aroma somehow got herself to smile as she patted the pigtailed girl on the back. "There, there. Maybe some food will cheer you up?"

"I guess..." Ranma muttered.

"Food it is," Aroma said as she stood up. "Meilin, I'll need some help from you with dinner. And Ranma and Ryouga, you two can go chop some wood while you wait. There's some logs and axes out back. I'll heat up some water for you too, Ranma."

"Sure, no problem," Ryouga said, getting up and heading toward the door. "Ranma! Quit sulking and come help me!"

"Fine..." Ranma said, dragging herself out of her chair.

While Aroma and Ryouga walked off, Meilin grabbed Ranma by the collar of her shirt and called out to the Amazon woman. "I'll be there in a minute!"

"What is it?" Ranma asked her, still trying to get over the fact that her curse was back. "If it's about Li..."

"It's not about that," Meilin told her. "I know how it is. If you didn't kill him, he would've killed you. I don't bear any grudge against you for it."

Ranma hadn't been feeling good about what she'd done to Li five months earlier, but somehow the fact that Meilin understood why she'd done it took a little of the burden off of her shoulders. "What is it then?"

Meilin made sure that everyone was out of earshot of her before whispering something to the redhead. "Tell me, what's going on between Ryouga and this Akane girl?"

Ranma blinked in confusion as she looked into the eyes of the white-haired rogue. "Ryouga and Akane? Nothin' really, she only likes him as a friend. She likes his pig form a lot and lets him sleep with her like that whenever he's around, but she don't know the pig is really him. Ryouga doesn't get much affection I guess since he's wanderin' around by himself all the time, so he likes hangin' around her like that."

Seemingly more relaxed after comprehending the situation, Meilin let go of Ranma's shirt. "That's it?"

"That's it," Ranma replied.

"Okay then, I can deal with that," Meilin said confidently.

While Ranma was left to wonder what exactly that was all about, Meilin headed into the kitchen to help Aroma with the cooking.

"So, how are your cooking skills?" the brown-haired Amazon asked her.

"Well...I can cook rice," Meilin told her.

"Is that all?" Aroma replied in a disappointed tone.

"It's not my fault I can't eat anything but that and pickled vegetables," Meilin muttered. "Hey...umm..."

"What is it?" Aroma asked.

Meilin began fidgeting as she tried to spit out the words she wanted to say. "How do you...umm...you know...win over a guy?"

Aroma was nearly moved to tears as she looked over at the blushing Meilin. "Oh my god, that's so cute..."

"Don't make fun of me!" Meilin pouted.

"Sorry, sorry," Aroma giggled. "You're talking about...Ryouga?"

Meilin hesitated for a second before nodding in response.

The Amazon woman placed her hand on her chin as she analyzed the lost boy. "I haven't been around him very much, but my great-grandmother told me some things about him. Judging from that and how I've seen him act, I'd say he's pretty dense, correct?"

"You have no idea," Meilin said in response.

Nodding approvingly at her analysis, Aroma looked over at Meilin with a sparkle in her eyes. "In the case of someone like him, I'd say there's only one thing to do."

"Wh-what's that?" Meilin asked nervously.

"Be aggressive," Aroma grinned.

Meilin narrowed her eyes as she looked over at the Amazon. "Be...aggressive..."

"That's right," Aroma said to her. "Unless you're aggressive, someone that dense won't be able to figure out that you want them."

Biting down on her fingernail, Meilin began to think over the advice. If there was one thing she was good at, she thought, it was being aggressive. And one thing she definitely wasn't good at was being patient. She was going to win him over tonight, she decided, whether he was ready for it or not.

* * *

Behind Aroma's home, Ranma was still grumbling to herself while chopping through logs with her one-handed axe swings. "Can't believe I turn into a girl again..."

"So just use that Shift or whatever and go to Jusenkyo," Ryouga said, splitting another log in half nearby.

"It ain't that easy," Ranma replied, sounding annoyed. "I don't got any base points set anywhere near there."

Ryouga recalled Cologne having explained to him how the Shift technique worked. The user could only go to a spot where they'd previously set a base point, he remembered. "Where did you learn that anyway?"

Scratching her head, Ranma found it difficult to come up with a reasonable answer. "I...didn't really learn it. After carryin' that scythe around, I just kinda knew it..."

"Aren't you lucky," Ryouga snorted. "You can just warp all around whoever you're fighting and beat them without getting hit now."

"No, I can't," Ranma said, stopping for a moment as she looked over at her rival. "I mean, I could when I had that scythe, but now...just usin' the Shift once wears me out. I bet if you asked Meilin, she'd tell ya Jynn was the same way. It ain't somethin' you can keep doin' over and over again without that scythe helpin' ya."

"Really?" Ryouga asked. He actually felt relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with Ranma using the Shift when he fought him again.

"Yeah, sucks," Ranma grumbled. "Hey, since we're talkin' about techniques and all, how's that thing Happosai taught ya work?"

"Like I'd tell you," Ryouga snorted. "It just uses energy from the sun, that's all."

"Solar energy, huh?" Ranma asked, sounding interested in the technique. "The old freak comes up with some interesting things sometimes I guess..."

The two of them silently continued hacking at the blocks of wood for several minutes before Ryouga spoke up again.

"Hey, you're going to fight that Ming guy that's marrying Shampoo, right?" Ryouga asked.

The redheaded girl stopped for a moment and thought about the task awaiting her in two days. "It'll probably come down to that, yeah."

Jamming his axe into a tree stump, Ryouga stopped and looked over at Ranma with a serious expression on his face. "You've only got one good arm you can use. You sure you can beat him?"

"How weak do you think I am, you pig?!" Ranma snarled at him.

"Quit calling me a pig!" Ryouga shouted back.

Once the tempers settled down, Ranma brushed her hair back and answered his question. "If this guy's someone that the old hag picked to marry Shampoo then he probably ain't bad. But I won't need my hands to beat him."

"You're going to kick him until he gives up?" Ryouga asked curiously.

"No," the pigtailed girl said, looking more serious as she thought about her current state. "When I was gettin' ready to fight Li, I met this guy named Yousuke that taught me a technique called the Tiger Claw. He said when Pop put me through that stupid Cat Fist training, it made a cat's personality in my head or somethin', and the Tiger Claw let me use it's power without me turnin' completely into a cat. I could rip through almost anything with my fingers."

Ryouga stood confused as he tried to understand what Ranma was trying to explain. "But...you need to use your hands for that then..."

"That's the thing," Ranma said, picking up a thick chunk of wood in her right hand.

Ryouga watched as Ranma tossed the wood piece into the air and swiped across it with her fingers. Surprisingly, it remained intact. As the chunk of wood fell to the snow-covered ground, Ryouga could see that Ranma's fingers had barely left a scratch on the surface.

"I...can't do it anymore," Ranma said, a frustrated look coming over her.

"W-why?" Ryouga asked.

"You saw that thing come out of the scythe at Nekonron, right?" the pigtailed girl asked him. "It...did somethin' to the cat in my head. I...I dunno what happened really, but I can't do the Tiger Claw anymore. There's somethin' else I can do now though. It's kinda hard to control, but I'm gonna try it out against that Ming guy."

Shaking his head, Ryouga picked up his axe and continued his log splitting. "You turn into more of a monster every time I see you."

Snorting in Ryouga's general direction, Ranma grabbed her axe and continued with her own work. "Says the guy that mangled my arm with a blast of energy from the sun..."

* * *

After everyone had eaten and Ranma had changed back to being a man, they all headed to bed early since they were going to be leaving early in the morning. Meilin went off to share Aroma's room, which left Ryouga stuck sharing the room normally used for patients with Ranma. They slept in the beds farthest apart from each other, but it still wasn't the most comfortable of situations for either of them.

Later in the night, Ranma wandered out of the room in his undershirt and boxers to get a drink of water. On his way back, he took a moment to lean up against the wall and stare out the window. Talking to Ryouga again had brought back all sorts of memories from the Nerima Ward back in Tokyo, and it made him realize just how much he really missed it. He couldn't help but wonder how much everyone had changed while he was away. The Tendo family, Ukyou, the Kuno siblings, everyone. But it wouldn't be much longer, he thought. He was going back to Japan soon, and he was bringing Shampoo back with him. Then, finally, this long journey in China would be a thing of the past.

Hearing someone's footsteps, Ranma turned toward the staircase next to the patients' room and saw something that nearly made his jaw hit the floor. Meilin was strutting down the stairs wearing nothing but a white, frilly nightgown that was barely long enough to cover her bottom. The makeup that adorned her face and the polish on her nails made her look absolutely gorgeous. The crude, foul-tempered fighter that Ranma was used to seeing now looked like a mature woman, and it left him awestruck.

Twirling as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Meilin ran her hand through the white hair resting on her shoulders and winked at Ranma. "Well, how do I look?"

His mouth still hanging open, Ranma pointed a finger in her direction, but he couldn't think of the right words to describe what he saw.

"That's just the reaction I wanted," Meilin smiled, walking into the room where Ryouga was sleeping and grabbing the doorknob. "Sorry, but I'll be using this room for a while. 'Night!"

After shutting the door behind her, Meilin strutted slowly toward Ryouga's bed and crawled onto it. Feeling the vibrations on his mattress, Ryouga's eyes fluttered open only to see his traveling partner smiling down at him seductively.

"Did I wake you?" Meilin asked lustfully.

"M-Meilin? Wh-" Ryouga stammered, but Meilin placing her finger over his lips stopped him from uttering another word.

Lowering her head toward Ryouga's face, Meilin giggled as she looked into his confused eyes. "Don't say anything. Just lay back, relax, and I'll make you forget all about that other woman..."

Ryouga's eyes went wide as Meilin then placed her hands on his cheeks and pressed her lips against his.

Outside the room, Ranma was still gawking as he looked at the door to what was his bedroom when he saw Aroma trot down the stairs and put her ear against the door. Her cheeks beginning to take on a reddish color as she listened in on the happenings inside, she turned and gave Ranma a thumbs up sign.

Letting his hand drop to his side, the pigtailed boy blinked several times before turning toward the brown-haired Amazon. "I...uh...think I need a new place to sleep..."

"You can use Shampie's bed for the night," Aroma said, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as she giddily began leading Ranma up the staircase. "Mmm, I'll have to remember to wash those bedsheets when I get back..."

* * *

The next morning, while Meilin and Aroma were still preparing to leave, Ranma and a dazed looking Ryouga were standing outside by the door to Aroma's home.

Looking over at Ryouga, there were any number of questions that Ranma wanted to ask him about last night, but he tried to contain himself. "Headin' back to Japan now?"

"Huh? Y-yeah..." Ryouga replied quietly. His mind was clearly in another place.

Nudging him with his elbow, Ranma leaned in and gave his rival a sly look. "So...anything interesting happen last night?"

Overcome with concern, Ryouga spun around and grabbed Ranma by the collar of his coat that Aroma had lent him. He wanted to yell at him, but he simply stood there silently, looking as if he'd done something wrong.

"Was it good?" Ranma asked him, trying not to burst out laughing at the state Ryouga he saw in.

"It was...incredible..." Ryouga admitted, his face brightening up as memories of last night flooded back into his mind.

"Then why do ya look all worried?" Ranma asked curiously.

Tightening his grip on Ranma's collar, Ryouga looked up at him with what could almost be described as a frightened expression on his face. "What...what am I supposed to tell Akane..?"

"Are you kiddin' me?! Look, I know you hate me, and I know I probably shouldn't be the one sayin' this, but just listen to me for a sec," Ranma pleaded. "Meilin knows about the pig, and she still likes ya! Don't you like her too?"

Ryouga began to blush as he thought about her. "Y-yeah..."

"Then what's the problem?! Ain't you the one that's always sayin' you're unhappy?" Ranma asked him. "She makes you happy, man! What more could ya want?!"

Letting go of Ranma's coat, Ryouga seemed to relax as he stood up straight again. "I guess...if you put it like that..."

Ranma watched as a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around Ryouga from behind and a familiar white-haired woman kissed him on the cheek.

"Ready to go, honey?" Meilin purred in his ear.

"Y-yeah! Let's go!" the lovestruck Ryouga responded before turning back to his rival. "Ranma! Once that arm heals, I'm challenging you to a fight!"

"Huh? Why?" Ranma asked him. "You beat me in that tournament, remember?"

"How was that a win?!" Ryouga snapped. "I was about to pass out! The only reason I won was because you left!"

The pigtailed boy slapped his hand against his forehead as he recognized Ryouga's resolve. He'd have to put up with his rival's relentless challenges for a while longer, he figured. "Fine, whatever makes ya happy. I'll be waitin' to beat ya again."

"We'll see about that!" Ryouga shouted.

"Okay, enough," Meilin said, dragging Ryouga along with her. "See ya 'round, Saotome. Give Shampoo my regards when you see her."

"You got it," Ranma said to her. Watching the two of them walk off for a few minutes, he felt a strange feeling start to come over him.

"Envious?" Aroma asked, shutting the door to her home behind her as she walked up next to the pigtailed boy.

Ranma scratched his head as he watched Meilin and Ryouga disappear over a hill. "It's just a little weird seein' Ryouga with a girl now since he's always been wanderin' around by himself. I guess everything changes eventually, huh?"

"That's called growing up, Ranma," the brown-haired Amazon replied, smiling over at him. "Shall we go get Shampie now?"

Tugging his backpack over his right shoulder, Ranma nodded over at her. "Yeah, let's go. It's time to finish this and go back to Japan."

* * *

The night before her wedding was a chilly one, but that didn't keep a certain lavender-haired woman from sitting on the roof of the home she was staying at. Clad only in her pajamas, her breath became visible as it made contact with the cold air surrounding her. She had her head arched toward the sky, looking up at the moon as her mind wandered back and forth. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice her great-grandmother hopping up next to her.

"_So this is where you were, Shampoo,_" Cologne said in Mandarin. "_You should go inside before you catch a cold. You wouldn't want to be ill on your wedding day._"

Shampoo didn't budge an inch as she continued staring up at the moon. It was as if she didn't even hear her great-grandmother.

"_I'm sure this is difficult for you, but try to understand my feelings,_" Cologne pleaded with her. "_And aside from that, Ming is a very talented warrior. He's undoubtedly worthy of being your husband._"

Shampoo once again made no movements. Realizing her ineffectiveness in getting through to her great-granddaughter, Cologne decided to let her do as she wanted.

"_He's gone, child. You need to accept it,_" Cologne told her as she hopped down from the roof.

Left alone once more, a single tear rolled down Shampoo's cheek as she looked up at the sky. No matter how obvious it seemed or how much her great-grandmother had tried to convince her, she still believed wholeheartedly that he was alive somewhere, looking up at the same sky. Shampoo raised her arm up and held it in front of her, the moon fitting in the palm of her hand as if she were trying to grasp it. He would definitely come, she thought to herself. Definitely.

"Ranma..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 16**


	17. Wedding Crasher

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Standing in the middle of a breathtaking field covered in white daisies, Shampoo looked into the orange sky and stared up at the sun setting in the distance. She wasn't sure where she was, the last thing she remembered being that she'd been laying awake in her bed and unable to sleep, but she didn't mind. This place brought her a much desired sense of tranquility, an escape from her restlessness.

As a gust of wind blew through her long, lavender hair and made the flowers sway back and forth, a group of orange and black butterflies flew up from the ground and into the air in front of her. Raising her right hand into the air, Shampoo watched as one of the butterflies landed on the tip of her finger.

They were so lucky, she thought to herself. They were free to fly wherever they wanted.

When Shampoo raised her hand above her head, the butterfly began fluttering its wings and flew off to rejoin the others.

"What's up?"

That voice sounding all too familiar to her, the Amazon girl spun around and looked back at the man standing behind her.

"What're you lookin' all sad for?" he asked her.

Shampoo noticed the pigtail swaying in the wind behind the man's head, a flurry of flower petals blowing around him as he stood with his hands on his hips. He had that same confident attitude that she'd come to love, and that same look on his face like he didn't have a single worry in the world.

"Ran...ma...?" she mouthed softly.

"Well duh, who else?" he asked.

Was this all a dream, Shampoo wondered? It'd been so long since she'd seen him, and yet here he was standing before her like nothing had happened. She was hesitant to believe it was really him, but she wanted so badly for it to be real.

Shampoo let out a slight gasp as Ranma stretched his hand out toward her and smiled.

"C'mon, let's go home," he said to her.

The lavender-haired Amazon was so happy that she wanted to cry. Real or not, it didn't matter to her anymore. It was Ranma standing in front of her, prompting for her to take his hand. How could she not?

But as she reached forward to take hold of him, Shampoo watched in dismay as he and everything else around him began to fade to white.

"Shampoo!" he yelled out.

"Ranma? Ranma!" Shampoo cried, but he was already gone.

"_Shampoo! Wake up!_"

As Shampoo's eyes fluttered open, she found her great-grandmother staring down at her from beside her bed.

"_Goodness, child, have you slept at all? Just look at those bags under your eyes..._" Cologne said to her in their native Mandarin language.

The Amazon elder backed away as her great-granddaughter shot up from her bed and began looking around the room frantically. The realization that everything she'd just seen was a dream quickly setting in, a deep sadness came over Shampoo as she gazed down at her bedsheets.

"_Did you have a bad dream?_" Cologne asked her.

Tossing her blankets aside, Shampoo, who was wearing a pink nightgown, crawled out of her bed and slowly began walking toward a window. "_No, it was a nice dream. It doesn't matter though. It was just a dream, right, Great-Grandmother?_"

Cologne had an idea from Shampoo's reaction about what kind of dream she'd seen, but she felt it was best not to delve into it. She knew her great-granddaughter hadn't let go of Ranma yet, but she needed to. As much as it pained her to see Shampoo like this, she felt it was for her own good that she put Ranma and everything that had happened with him behind her and move on.

"_I suppose so,_" Cologne replied. "_In any case, it is time to prepare for the wedding. Ming is no doubt looking forward to seeing you in your wedding dress._"

Stretching one of her arms out in front of her, Shampoo undid the latch on the window and pushed it open to let some fresh air into her room. Aside from the usual sound of birds chirping from the rooftops, she also heard some random chatter coming from below. Looking down at the snow-covered ground, she noticed some of the wedding guests in formal robes walking toward the village's largest hall where the ceremony was being held. They were a strong reminder of the reality that Shampoo would have to face shortly, and she didn't like it at all. Trying to put it out of her mind, she raised her head and looked up at the overcast sky.

The lack of sunshine was fitting considering her feelings right now, she thought.

The young Amazon woman had kept telling herself that Ranma would show up at some point, but there wasn't any time left. While her great-grandmother helped her into the white wedding dress that she herself had worn for her wedding so long ago, Shampoo began to come to grips with that reality that she'd been trying so hard to avoid. Ranma hadn't been seen nor heard from in close to six months. By all accounts he was presumed dead, and the wedding with Ming was imminent. That life with Ranma that she'd dreamed of was going to be just that; a dream. She was going to spend the rest of her life with Ming and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Cologne had been extremely lenient in letting her pursue Ranma for so long. She just couldn't fight against her wishes anymore.

After applying her makeup, slipping into her white shoes, and fitting her white veil onto her head, Shampoo turned and looked at herself in a mirror along with her great-grandmother.

"_You look just as beautiful as I did on my wedding day,_" Cologne said, smiling as she remembered those days long ago. Her great-granddaughter was looking far less enthusiastic than she did about her wedding though. "_I know this is difficult for you, but you need to smile, Shampoo. Ming is going to feel very uncomfortable if you keep looking glum like that during the wedding._"

Doing as she was asked, Shampoo tried her best to manage a smile. Even while smiling, however, it was clear that she didn't seem happy. Anyone with a brain was going to notice how sad that smile on her face was. Nevertheless, she was all set for the wedding, and she and her great-grandmother left the room they'd been staying at and began walking through the snow toward the large hall.

While Shampoo hesitantly walked forward, Cologne keeping the back of her dress from dragging through the snow behind her, she looked around trying to catch a glimpse of that one person she wanted to see. But as she expected, there was nobody else around. Putting her head down as she walked, she and her great-grandmother continued on until they reached the door to the hall.

All of the wedding guests had arrived and were mingling amongst themselves when they heard the door open. As Shampoo entered the ceremony hall, everyone turned and applauded the vision of beauty that was the young Amazon in her wedding gown. One of the people, an older gentleman with short, gray hair and a mustache, stepped apart from the other guests and smiled as he walked up to her.

"_What do you think, Chang? Isn't she lovely?_" Cologne asked the gentleman.

"_She most certainly is,_" the man replied happily. "_My son is very lucky to have you as his bride, Shampoo. I'm sure you'll have a very happy life with him._"

Trying as hard as she could to keep her smile intact, Shampoo bowed slightly before Chang and raised her head again. "_Thank you, sir._"

"_Please, call me Chang,_" he smiled. "_Ming should be here shortly. He's feeling a bit nervous, to be honest._"

"_That's to be expected. Think nothing of it,_" Cologne assured him.

Cologne and Chang, along with the other guests, were startled slightly as the door to the hall suddenly swung open.

Shampoo quickly turned her head to see who it was, her eyes lighting up with a renewed feeling of hope, but the person at the door wasn't the one she'd been waiting for. She watched sadly as an energetic woman with long, brown hair and a white coat shut the door behind her and wasted no time walking over to the lavender-haired girl in the wedding dress.

"_Hi! Sorry I'm late!_" Aroma announced.

"_Always making a noisy entrance,_" Cologne muttered, shaking her head.

"_Who would this young woman be?_" Chang asked the Amazon elder.

"_This is another of my great-granddaughters, Aroma,_" Cologne replied, turning to look at her. "_Aroma, this is Ming's father, Chang._"

"_Oh! How nice to meet you!_" Aroma said cheerfully, bowing to him before turning her attention back to her sister. "_I'm so glad I made it in time! Congratulations on your marriage, Shampie._"

Aroma knew her younger sister wasn't in the highest of spirits given the current situation, so she was looking forward to seeing some energy from her in the form of a colorful response to hearing the nickname "Shampie." Even that couldn't light a fire in Shampoo though, who simply nodded as she continued to hang her head.

That was it, Shampoo thought to herself. Now that Aroma had arrived, there was nothing left that could delay the wedding. It was only a matter of time before she would be married to Ming.

Seeing the sad smile on her sister's face, Aroma let out a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. "_What's with that gloomy attitude when you look so pretty? Honestly..._"

"_Don't worry about it, she'll be fine,_" Cologne told her. "_Did you come alone? I thought you would have one of your aides accompany you._"

Cologne felt a chill run down her spine when she saw a sinister smile cross her great-granddaughter's face. It was well known amongst the villagers at Joketsuzoku that what Aroma lacked in fighting ability, she made up for in plotting and scheming. It was one of the traits that the Amazon elder truly wished she hadn't gotten from her. She knew very well from past experiences that nothing good ever happened when Aroma smiled like she was now.

"_Well,_" Aroma said in a playful manner, "_I was going to bring one of them, but then this troublesome guy showed up at the village..._"

Her interest suddenly piqued, Shampoo blinked as she raised her head and looked into her older sister's devious eyes.

"_And it's the craziest thing...once I told him about Shampie getting married, he was dead set on coming here with me,_" Aroma continued, folding her arms across her chest as she turned and smiled at her younger sister. "_I tried to talk him out of it, really I did, but he absolutely insisted on it..._"

"_Aroma...who..._?" Shampoo began to say, her mood starting to brighten up. She had no way of knowing for sure who her older sister was talking about, but somehow, seeing that look in her eyes, she had a hunch who it was.

Looking up at the brown-haired woman nervously, a bead of sweat rolled down Cologne's forehead and fell to the floor of the ceremony hall. "_What have you done...?_"

"_Me? Nothing at all,_" Aroma replied, throwing her arms up into the air innocently. "_Oh, that's right, you should probably cover your ears..._"

"_Cover...our ears...?_" Chang asked her, looking incredibly confused.

Aroma grabbed Shampoo's hands and placed them over her ears before covering her own. "_Yeah, definitely. You too, Granny._"

"_You conniving girl, I knew it! What have you done this time?_" Cologne asked impatiently, covering her ears while the perplexed father of Shampoo's groom did the same.

No more than a second later, the door to the ceremony hall seemingly exploded with a loud boom that resonated throughout the building. The wedding guests who had gathered all cried out in a mix of fear and surprise as the small chunks of wood that were once the door rained down on them, dirtying the formal robes that they'd all worn for the occasion.

Once the dust cleared and they all began to calm down, the guests all turned toward the doorway and saw the silhouette of a man with his right arm outstretched.

Shaken and startled, Chang immediately stepped forward and glared angrily at the man who was standing in the doorway. "_Wh-what is the meaning of this?_"

Not at all remorseful about what he'd done, the man smirked and stepped forward into the hall, dropping his blue coat to the floor as he entered.

"Sorry, guess I knocked a little too hard..." he said with a cocky laugh.

Her mouth hanging open as she stared at him, Cologne couldn't believe who she was seeing. "_Son-in-law..._"

As for Shampoo, words couldn't describe her reaction at that moment as her heart was filled with joy and tears began to form in her eyes.

That rude, conceited voice.

That outfit with the red, Chinese shirt and dark pants that he'd always worn.

That black pigtail resting on his right shoulder.

That attitude that exuded confidence and always had a way of making her feel like things were going to be fine.

But this time it wasn't a dream. This time he was real.

Noticing the lavender-haired girl wearing the wedding gown out of the corner of his eye, Ranma turned his head toward Shampoo and smiled over at her. "Hey..."

The young Amazon woman couldn't hold herself back anymore. Overwhelmed with happiness and with tears running down her face, Shampoo leaned forward and began running toward the man she'd been waiting to see for so long. He was really alive, and he was right there in front of her eyes.

Taking a breath of air as she ran, she cried out his name with all her heart. "Ranma!"

Shampoo didn't get far, however, before a man fell from above and landed violently on the ground in front of her, slamming into the floor with such force that the very foundation of the hall shook. With Shampoo stopped in her tracks behind him, the man, who was wearing a pure white robe and pants and whose head was shaved completely bald, slowly stood up and pulled the tip of a claymore which was as tall as his body out from the floor.

Swinging his large sword around in the air once, he pointed it at Ranma while glaring intensely into his eyes. "_What do you want?_"

"I'm guessin' you're Ming, huh?" Ranma asked, his smile disappearing as he took on a much more serious demeanor. "I can't understand ya though. Someone mind translatin' for me?"

"He wants to know what you want, and so do I!" Cologne shouted at him in Japanese, hopping up next to Ming on her cane. "I'm glad to see you alive and well, Ranma, but I do not understand why you are here. You were gone for six months. Everyone assumed you were dead. And aside from that, you had every chance in the world to claim Shampoo as your bride, yet you refused! You are no longer needed, do you understand? Shampoo will be marrying Ming."

Annoyed by the long declaration, Ranma leered over at Cologne with a chilling look in his eyes. "That ain't your choice to make, old hag."

"What?" Cologne snapped back at him. "How dare you speak to me with such disre-"

"Shampoo!" Ranma suddenly shouted, his voice booming throughout the hall as he interrupted Cologne.

Hearing her name called out in Ranma's voice, Shampoo clutched her hands to her chest tightly. It had been so long since she'd heard him say her name, and he'd yelled it out with such force that it made her jump. Her heart was beating so fast right now that she thought it was going to burst out of her body.

Turning to look at the lavender-haired Amazon again, Ranma stared at her intently while Ming and the others kept a close eye on him.

"Shampoo, if you wanna marry this guy then I won't do nothin'. I'll just walk outta here, go back to Japan, and forget all about this," Ranma said to her, his words as serious as anything he'd ever uttered in his life. "But if you don't wanna marry this guy, I'll take ya outta here and we'll go back to Japan together. It's your choice. Tell me what ya want me to do."

The tears continuing to flow down her cheeks, Shampoo clutched her hands to her chest even tighter with happiness. There was no need for her to think about his offer. She knew exactly what she wanted from the moment he'd arrived. "Ranma...Ranma is only one Shampoo want to marry! Please, Ranma...take Shampoo with you!"

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Ranma grinned confidently as he turned and looked back at Ming. "Sorry, you heard her. I'm takin' her with me whether ya like it or not."

"I will not allow you to do any such thing!" Cologne shouted, but Ming holding his hand out in front of her stopped her from going any further.

With all of the wedding guests still watching in silence, the young, bald-headed man looked down at Cologne in need of answers. "_I apologize for the interruption, but who is this and what does he want?_"

"_This is Ranma Saotome. He was Shampoo's fiancée, but we believed him to be deceased,_" the Amazon elder replied in Mandarin, calming herself down before addressing Ming. "_I am terribly sorry for his intrusion. I will deal with him myself._"

"_No,_" Ming said immediately, drawing a surprised reaction from everyone around him.

Curious about Ming's reply, Cologne narrowed her eyes as she stared up at him. "_Why not?_"

"_This man also has a rightful claim to Shampoo, does he not?_" Ming asked, continuing to point his claymore in Ranma's direction. "_I would not be worthy of being Shampoo's husband if I did not deal with him personally._"

Frantic about the idea of his son fighting on his wedding day, Chang walked up to him and grabbed hold of his shoulder tightly. "_But, Ming...!_"

"Hey, what's he sayin'?" Ranma asked, looking at the group of Amazons impatiently.

Reluctant but understanding of Ming's feelings, Cologne decided to allow him to do as he pleased. "Ming wishes to fight you for the right to Shampoo."

Scratching his chin with his good hand, Ranma didn't seem surprised at the request. "Yeah, I figured that's how things would go. Fine by me."

While Cologne explained to Ming that Ranma had agreed to the challenge, Shampoo couldn't help staring at the pigtailed boy's left arm with concern. She didn't know what had happened or why it was in that dark blue sling, but she did know he would have trouble with Ming because of it. "Ranma...you only has one arm...!"

"Huh? Oh, it ain't a problem," Ranma told her, shrugging as he looked back at the girl in the wedding dress. "I won't need my hands to beat this guy."

"But, Ranma...Ming no is weak-!" Shampoo tried explaining to him.

"Shampoo," Ranma said, giving her a calm look, "trust me, alright?"

Staring into those confident eyes of his, Shampoo took a deep breath and nodded in reply. "Shampoo trust you..."

"Good," Ranma smiled, then turning toward Ming and signaling with his hand for the Amazon man to follow him outdoors. "C'mon, let's go."

With Ming beginning to walk behind him, Ranma stopped for a moment once he reached the doorway and turned toward Aroma and Cologne. "Listen, if things get outta control, make sure ya get everyone the heck away from here."

While Cologne shot him a curious look, Aroma nodded her head in acknowledgment of the request. "Don't worry, we'll do what we need to do. Be careful."

Ranma didn't say another word as he led Ming out of the hall and away from the village. The moment they stepped outside, Ming removed his robe and tossed it to the ground as he continued to walk. Looking back at him, Ranma noticed just how well defined Ming's muscles were. It wasn't surprising though, he thought, considering how strong he'd have to be to swing around that gigantic sword of his.

Talking amongst themselves while they watched the pair move further and further away, the guests of the wedding all gathered outside the ceremony hall to witness the battle firsthand. At the front of that group of people stood Shampoo, Chang, Aroma, and an unusually worried Cologne.

"_Aroma, we will discuss your behavior later, but for now there is something I want to know,_" the Amazon elder said to her. "_Why is Ranma concerned about the safety of everyone here? What does he plan on doing?_"

"_Something, but I don't know for sure what,_" Aroma replied, her expression becoming serious. "_All he told me is that he's not sure if he can control it._"

While the two warriors continued to move away from the village, Ming became curious as to why Ranma was leading him so far away. Had he laid some kind of trap for him, he wondered? Even if that were the case, he wasn't going to fall victim to it. He was alert as he could possibly be right now.

Once they'd gotten several hundred yards away from the village, Ranma planted his feet in the snow and came to a stop. Turning around, he analyzed the distance between them and everyone else before looking over at his opponent.

"Alright, this should be fine," Ranma said to him, a look of pity beginning to show on his face. "I know you can't understand me, but I'm gonna say it anyway just so I can't say that I didn't when this is over. Sorry 'bout this."

As Ranma had said, Ming couldn't understand his uncharacteristic apology, but he could tell that Ranma was ready to fight. Taking a moment to stretch out his arms and breathe, Ming held his claymore out in front of him with both hands on the hilt.

With everyone at the village looking on from a distance, Ranma stuck his right arm out in front of him and closed his eyes. Surprised, Ming suddenly jumped back out of instinct when he saw strands of a dark violet aura begin to swirl around Ranma's body and rise upward. Snow from the ground starting to scatter away from him due to the force of the swirling aura, Ranma opened his eyes as it began to collect into one mass and take form above him.

Everyone, Ming included, looked on in awe as the dark aura expanded and four limbs formed from it and slammed down into the ground around Ranma. Looking up, Ming could see a tail begin to extend from the back of the mass, and a head then began to form at the front. Once the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth took form, it was clear to everyone what it was. That dark violet aura that had come out of Ranma had taken the form of an enormous cat. Staring down at its prey with malicious intentions, the feline hissed wildly at Ming, nearly knocking him over from just the horrible sound.

Back by the ceremony hall, Ming's father was aghast at the sight of Ranma's beast. "_M-Ming..._"

"_Th-this is...how did the son-in-law come into possession of something like this?_" Cologne stammered, her demeanor changing to one of great concern.

"_My gosh...it must be fifty feet tall,_" Aroma said in amazement. "_If Ranma loses control of that thing..."_

Shampoo stood speechless as she stared at the towering feline. Was the person who did this really the same pigtailed boy that she knew? She knew he was capable of a lot, but the fact that he was able to do something like this was difficult to swallow. She couldn't help but wonder if he could use a technique like this and manage to come away from it unscathed.

With the vicious cat standing tall above him, Ranma looked remorsefully into the stunned eyes of his opponent. "Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts Final Attack...Feral Nightmare."

Ming was quickly snapped out of his surprised state as the cat's paw came crashing down at him from above. He leaped out of the way as fast as he could manage, barely dodging the feline's claws as its paw slammed into the ground, sending a cloud of snow into the air. The cat then turned it's head to where Ming had landed and soared into the sky in an attempt to pounce on him.

Seeing an opportunity to attack the feline, Ming waited until just before it landed and nimbly jumped out of the way. As he leaped into the air, Ming sliced into one of the cat's arms with his claymore before skidding to a halt on the snowy ground. Looking up to see if he'd successfully severed the cat's arm, however, he was dismayed to find that it was still intact.

"_How?_" Ming yelled out. He was so surprised at the ineffectiveness of his attack that he didn't notice the object heading for him from the rear. Ming cried out as the cat slammed its tail into his back, sending him flying nearly twenty feet before he fell to the ground and rolled to a stop.

"Yeah, cut its body up and it just fills right back in," Ranma said to the ailing Ming as he watched him get to his feet. "You can't win, man. I'd ask ya to give up before it gets any worse, but even if you could understand me, I doubt you'd quit..."

The Amazon man had a frustrated look on his face as he got to his feet and glared at the pigtailed boy. "_You...you are some kind of monster...but I will defeat you!_"

His will to fight still strong as ever, Ming leaped into the air and began slashing the cat's face relentlessly with his sword. Time and again the sword sliced into the massive beast, its face becoming distorted from the impacts, until Ming flipped backward and landed on the ground once more.

Remaining calm and collected, Ranma watched as the energy that made up the cat's head reorganized and its face reformed into its prior state. Hissing in a fit of fury, the feline swung its claws at Ming again, forcing him to make another evasive maneuver.

"_I can't hurt it..._" Ming said to himself, finally realizing the futility of attacking the cat.

Ranma already knew that the cat was practically invincible. Those spirits that had inhabited Yanlou and entered his body when Ryouga broke the weapon had corrupted the cat's personality that he used to call upon the Tiger Claw technique, and this was the result. That cat had taken on a life of its own, and it did not have a nice attitude.

The pigtailed boy's fear wasn't that Ming could defeat the feline, but whether or not he himself could control it. That was another reason why he insisted on calling upon it to fight Ming. Of course, the main reason was that he absolutely couldn't afford to lose to him, but it was also a way for Ranma to test his limits.

Ming had given up on eliminating the cat standing above his opponent, but he hadn't given up on the fight. Even if he couldn't hurt the cat, he thought, there was no way that Ranma himself could withstand his blade.

Much to Ranma's surprise, the Amazon warrior jumped up into the air to attack the cat again, but this time the ferocious feline was ready. Raising its paw up into the air, the cat slammed it down into Ming and forcefully drove him into the ground, or so it thought. Ranma noticed immediately that the image of Ming had dissipated as soon as the cat's paw made contact with him. Lowering his head to look around as quickly as he could, the pigtailed boy had almost no time to react as the real Ming appeared in front of him, sword raised and ready to strike.

Screaming furiously, the bald-headed Amazon swung his sword directly into his opponent's chest, but what he wasn't expecting was the head of a much smaller cat coming out from Ranma's body and catching his sword in its mouth. Trying not to lose focus, Ming frantically attempted to pull his claymore away from the second cat that had appeared from Ranma's chest, but it refused to let go of the weapon.

"That wasn't a bad trick, but this fight's over," Ranma told Ming.

Realizing that he'd taken his attention off of the original feline for too long, Ming quickly looked up only to find the cat's gigantic claw soaring toward him. With his sword firmly in the grasp of the smaller cat's mouth, Ming couldn't evade the attack quickly enough. The giant cat's claws tore into him and sent him flying through the air, much to the horror of his father who began running toward the battle scene in a panic. Losing hold of his sword at the moment of impact, Ming was in the air for nearly five seconds before hitting the ground and rolling to a stop on his back. The snow on the ground around him was stained red as a gash across his chest and another across his left leg began to bleed badly.

Its task complete, the second cat let Ming's claymore fall to the ground and rescinded back into Ranma's body. Ming was breathing heavily and grabbing at his wounds as he painstakingly tried to get to his feet, but the large cat hovering above Ranma wasn't going to let him stand again. The towering beast jumped into the air and crashed down onto the Amazon warrior, crushing him underneath its paw. Ming let out a cry of sheer agony as the cat forcefully pressed his bloodied body into the ground.

Seeing the state Ming was in, Ranma decided that this had gone far enough. Taking a deep breath, he looked up toward the cat at yelled out to it. "Stop! That's enough!"

The feline turned and looked down at its host as if it understood the command, but it wouldn't get off of Ming. Instead, it pressed down on him with even greater force to further agonize him. While Ming continued to cry out in pain, Ranma was quickly becoming worried. This was exactly what he'd feared would happen. The question was, would he be able to stop it?

"Hey!" Ranma yelled out, the cat once again looking down at him. "I said that's enou-!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma saw none other than Cologne jump up toward the cat and slap a paper seal on its forehead. While the Amazon elder fell back down to the snowy ground, the out of control feline began thrashing about wildly. Ranma, along with Cologne, ducked for cover, both of them trying to avoid being struck by the cat's tail or limbs as it flailed about. Shaking its head violently, the pained creature let out a horrible yowl that made Ranma's ears ring.

After several seconds, the two of them watched as the cat finally collapsed to the ground and the mass began to lose its shape. Once all of the dark energy that made up the frightening feline had gathered into the air, it shot toward Ranma and entered into his body once again. Reeling from the sudden impact, the pigtailed boy fell to his knees and began panting to catch his breath.

"You fool!" Cologne snapped, hitting him over the head with her cane. "Do you realize how dangerous that could have gotten had I not been here to seal that creature? Just look at your arm!"

"Oww! Whadya do that fo-..." Ranma began to say, but when he raised his right arm to grab the area where Cologne had struck him, he saw that his right hand was completely covered in a black fur and that his fingernails had grown out. Ever so slowly, the fur began to fall from his hand as it returned to normal again. "What...what is this...?"

"Ranma, you must never use that power again!" Cologne instructed him. "That energy was in the process of consuming you. If you continue to call upon it, you will be overcome by it and you will lose control of yourself. Do you understand me?"

Staring down at his hand as the last remnants of fur fell to the ground, Ranma couldn't deny that the old woman was probably right. He didn't realize until now just how dangerous using that technique was for him. "Yeah...I ain't gonna use that again..."

Back at the village, there was a lot of idle chatter and worry going on amongst the wedding guests.

At the front of them, Aroma was finally able to exhale as the potentially volatile situation was resolved. "_Whew, that was close. Leave it to Granny to take care of something dangerous like that..._"

Standing beside her, Shampoo had any number of different emotions running through her body at that moment. She didn't know what to make of that massive cat that Ranma had called upon during the battle, but...he'd won, right? If so, then that meant...

Shampoo stepped forward and looked surprised as she suddenly felt a hand push her from behind. As she turned around, she found her big sister smiling at her again.

"_Well, what are you waiting for?_" Aroma asked, giving her an assuring wink. "_Go get him already..._"

That's right, Shampoo thought to herself. Ranma had beaten Ming. She could worry about everything else later. Right now, all she wanted was to go see him. Turning her head as she began running off, she smiled and uttered two words under her breath that were so simple, yet so meaningful to her older sister. "_Thank you..._"

Aroma stood in stunned silence while watching the lavender-haired girl in the wedding dress run toward the man she loved. Shampoo had actually thanked her, she thought happily. Maybe, just maybe, she'd finally done something to make up for being a poor big sister to her for all those years.

Meanwhile, Chang finally made it to the site of the battle and knelt down next to his battered son. "_Ming, are you okay?_"

Walking over next to him, Cologne began looking over the boy's injuries and analyzing his current state. "_We need to stop the bleeding on these cuts, and from the sound of his breathing I fear he may have a punctured lung as well._"

Ranma was again looking remorsefully at Ming when he saw him slowly raise his hand up and motion for Cologne to come closer to him.

After Ming whispered a few things in her ear, Cologne nodded and turned toward the pigtailed boy. "Ranma...Ming says that it was an honor to duel someone like you for the right to marry Shampoo. He wants you to take good care of her in his place."

"Hey, I only did it 'cause I owed her, alright? Don't go gettin' any funny ideas," Ranma said, sounding embarrassed as he began scratching his head and looked down at Ming again. "Sorry 'bout all this, man. Wasn't nothin' personal, I just had to do what I came to do."

Hearing the sound of someone panting behind him all of a sudden, Ranma turned around only to see Shampoo breathing heavily after running as fast as she could to the battle site. Her veil swaying in the chilly breeze behind her head, she and Ranma stood quietly and stared into one another's eyes for a moment while Shampoo caught her breath.

"See? I told ya to trust me," Ranma said, breaking the silence.

He was right, Shampoo thought. He'd never given her any reason to doubt him before, and that fact was one thing that hadn't changed at all.

The lavender-haired Amazon drew her breath in slightly as she watched Ranma extend his hand out toward her.

"C'mon," Ranma said, a smile crossing his face, "let's go home."

It was just like that dream she'd had, Shampoo thought, only this time he wasn't going to disappear. She wasn't going to let him, no matter what. Unable to contain her joy any longer, Shampoo lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the pigtailed boy's neck, burying her tear-filled eyes into his red shirt that was so full of his scent. "Ranma!"

"H-hey now..." Ranma said, blushing as he placed his right hand gently on her back.

"Shampoo wait for Ranma for so long!" she cried emotionally, squeezing him even tighter. "Where you go all that time?"

"Yeah, sorry. It's a long story. I'll tell ya 'bout it later," Ranma replied.

While Chang began carrying his son back to the village for medical attention, Cologne hopped onto her cane and went over to her great-granddaughter. "Shampoo, will you be going back to Japan?"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Shampoo turned and smiled at the Amazon elder. "If that where Ranma going, then Shampoo go too."

"Very well, however, you will be on your own for the time being," Cologne told her. "Because of this mess that your sister and the son-in-law caused, I need to stay here and smooth things out. There should still be roughly five months left on our lease of the Cat Café, so feel free to run the restaurant when you go back. You may need to hire some help though."

"Is okay, Shampoo figure something out," she replied, not particularly concerned about such things the moment.

The two Amazon women suddenly shifted their gaze to Ranma when they noticed a bright blue light begin to shine from under his feet. He was concentrating for a moment with his eyes closed before opening them again and grinning.

"Found it," Ranma said to nobody in particular.

"Ranma...what that?" Shampoo asked, her arms still wrapped around him as she looked down at the light curiously.

"Huh? Oh, just gettin' the Shift ready," Ranma replied in a very nonchalant manner.

"Ranma can use Shift technique?" Shampoo exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'll tell ya 'bout that later too," the pigtailed boy said to her. "Anyway, you all done here?"

Still feeling somewhat confused, the Amazon girl slowly nodded her head in response.

"'Kay, we're outta here then," Ranma said, looking over at Cologne one last time. "See ya."

The Amazon elder watched in awe as Ranma disappeared in a bright flash of light along with her great-granddaughter. Falling off of her cane from exasperation, Cologne groaned and placed her hand over her forehead. It was supposed to be such a nice day too, she thought to herself, but Ranma had shown up to complicate things for her yet again.

"_Son-in-law...you never cease to amaze this old woman..._"

* * *

Shampoo, still holding tightly onto Ranma, let out a gasp as the light from his Shift technique faded. He'd used it so suddenly that it caught her a bit by surprise. Looking around to see where Ranma had taken her, she found that they were in a very familiar room with several beds and daylight shining in through the windows.

"This is...Shampoo's home?" she asked curiously, realizing that it was the room Aroma always let her patients sleep in.

"Y-yeah," Ranma replied, sounding unusually exhausted.

Shampoo watched as the pigtailed boy fell from her grasp and collapsed backwards onto one of the beds. "Ranma, what matter?"

"Nothin', I'm just tired," he said to her. Straightening himself out so that his head was on the pillow, Ranma let out a loud yawn and blinked a few times as he tried to keep his eyes open. "Usin' that technique earlier wore me out a little, and the Shift didn't exactly help. I just need a nap before we go back to Japan."

Remembering that enormous cat that her fiancée had summoned earlier, Shampoo sat next to him on the edge of the bed. She wasn't going to make him explain how he managed to use such a thing when he was already this tired, but she wanted to know what kind of risk it posed at the very least. "Ranma, that technique very dangerous, yes? Shampoo see how mad Great-Grandmother get when you use that..."

Ranma raised his right hand into the air and stared at his outgrown fingernails for a moment as he recalled what the old woman had told him. "Yeah, I ain't gonna use that anymore. Nobody's gonna be safe if I call that thing out again, includin' me."

Shampoo blinked curiously as Ranma smiled up at her and begin to laugh a bit. "What laughing about?"

"Sorry, I just...I'm glad you're okay," he told her. "When I saw Li's crescent hit ya that day, I didn't know if you'd be alright. I couldn't come near here for a long time after that either, so I just never knew for sure..."

Reaching her hands up, Shampoo slowly pulled down the top of her wedding dress to reveal the base of her throat. Ranma started to blush and was about to ask what she was doing, but then he noticed the visible scar across her throat.

"Aroma...say that Shampoo almost die," the lavender-haired Amazon said quietly. "But Jynn and Ringo bring Shampoo here fast, so that no happen..."

Ranma had a sorrowful look on his face as he reached up and placed two of his fingers on Shampoo's scar.

"This...was my fault," he said. "You're always savin' me...I shoulda noticed that you were there..."

"No! It no is Ranma's fault!" Shampoo said immediately, her eyes beginning to tear up again. "Shampoo try to help because love Ranma very much, but put self in danger. Is only Shampoo fault. Ranma no should blame self..."

"You say that, but it ain't easy for me not to blame myself," Ranma replied sadly. "I guess it's okay though. You and me...we're both alive, right? We can finally go to Japan and get everything back to normal."

Taking Ranma's hand in her grasp, Shampoo brought his fingers to her mouth and kissed them softly.

"H-hey, what're you doin'...?" Ranma asked her nervously.

"We...no need to go back to Japan..." Shampoo said quietly.

"Huh?" Ranma asked, wondering what she meant.

The Amazon girl pressed Ranma's hand against her chest and clutched it tightly as her lips began to quiver. "Ranma...can stay with Shampoo here if want. We no even have to live in village if Ranma no like it here. Can go somewhere else and live, just two of us..."

The look on Shampoo's face told Ranma that she was serious about what she was saying. Despite the fact that they were supposed to just be friends, she'd made no secret of the way she felt about him. But her suggestion was something that the pigtailed boy just couldn't go along with.

"You know I can't do that," Ranma said to her. "I know everyone in Japan likes to bug me and challenge me and stuff, but I like it there. I got friends there, and you do too, y'know?"

Falling forward onto the bed, Shampoo let go of Ranma's hand and laid her head on his chest. "Shampoo understand. It no hurt to try ask."

His natural reflex kicking in, Ranma placed his arm around the girl and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

"Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"You use Shift...to take us to Japan...after nap...?" Shampoo asked him, her voice beginning to trail off.

"Nah, I can't," Ranma replied. "I ain't got any base points set in Japan."

Ranma continued to stare up at the ceiling and smiled to himself as he got an idea. "I think I know someone that owes us a ride though..."

After a few seconds, he noticed that Shampoo had gotten extremely quiet. Looking down at the lavender-haired girl laying on his chest, he found that she'd closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

"Guess you had a long day too, huh?" Ranma whispered softly to her. He wasn't normally comfortable with sleeping in the same bed as a girl, but considering everything that had happened, just this once, he thought, he could deal with it.

Laying back on his pillow, Ranma closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep slumber with Shampoo sleeping peacefully in his arms.

* * *

**End of Chapter 17**


	18. We're Back!

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

On a chilly, overcast February afternoon in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Ukyou Kuonji and Akane Tendo were seated in their daily English class while their teacher, Mr. Nakamura, read a passage from a textbook. Akane was attentive to the material, as always, but Ukyou, who was slumped over her desk, was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open. She never had a problem studying material in her own time, but the monotone lectures of her teachers lacked the excitement necessary to hold her interest.

Akane raised an eyebrow in Ukyou's direction when the okonomiyaki chef accidentally let out a loud yawn.

"Kuonji!"

Ukyou snapped back to attention when she heard the teacher call out her name. "Y-yes!"

"Would you be so kind as to read the next paragraph for us?" Nakamura asked, adjusting his glasses as he eyed her.

Knowing that she'd been caught, Ukyou began looking around at the other students' textbooks to try to figure out where they were at.

"Do you even know what page we're on, Miss Kuonji?" the teacher asked her.

"N-no, sir," Ukyou said, hanging her head with embarrassment while some of the other students began snickering at her misfortune.

Nakamura was readying to scold her for her lack of attention when a perfectly timed ringing of the school bell interrupted him, thus ending class with a minimal amount of humiliation on Ukyou's part.

"Alright, time for lunch. Be sure to read the assignment for tomorrow!" Mr. Nakamura shouted, making sure that everyone heard him. "And, Miss Kuonji, please try to stay awake next class."

"I'm sorry, sir," she replied, bowing apologetically as he left the room.

With Ukyou still grumbling about being caught, Akane pulled out the lunch that Kasumi had prepared for her in the morning and shook her head. "You don't learn, do you?"

"It's just so boring, I can't stand it!" Ukyou whined. "I don't see how you can pay attention to that guy."

"It's easy when you actually want to learn," Akane snorted, stretching once she got up out of her seat. "Come on, let's go."

"That's harsh..." Ukyou complained, following the youngest Tendo daughter out of the classroom.

In the months following Ranma's disappearance, Akane and Ukyou had formed a very unique friendship. They got along well for the most part and both enjoyed helping their new redheaded acquaintance get used to daily life, but their history with each other as rivals for Ranma's attention resulted in the two of them being more critical of one another than most friends. Whether their friendship was permanent or just a temporary truce until Ranma returned was something that remained to be seen.

As was their daily ritual, the girls headed to the classroom down the hall and looked in to try and find the third member of their lunch party. They normally found her sitting quietly by herself when they showed up, but today, for some reason, she was nowhere to be found.

"She's not here? That's weird..." Ukyou said, scratching her head while looking around the room to make sure she wasn't missing something.

"It really is. I wonder where she could've gone," Akane replied.

Noticing the pair standing in the doorway, a girl with short hair called out to them. "Hey, you guys looking for Ringo?"

"Yeah, you know where she went?" Ukyou asked.

"She sped out of here and up the stairs as soon as the bell rang," the girl replied. "She's been acting really odd today. Spent the whole morning looking out the window like she was in some kind of trance."

Ukyou and Akane blinked as they looked at each other. Ringo had been placed in a different class than the two of them, but they'd heard from others that she was always very attentive during class periods. For her to be spacing off was unusual enough, but running off as soon as lunch began without so much as a word? It wasn't like her at all, the two of them thought.

Unsure of where Ringo would have gone, the girls headed up the staircase to the top floor of the school and began peeking into every classroom. Strangely, however, she wasn't in any of them. With only one possibility remaining, Akane and Ukyou began ascending the staircase that lead to the roof.

"Why would she come up here? It's freezing outside," Ukyou wondered aloud.

"I know, but where else could she be?" Akane said, sounding somewhat worried.

Once they reached the top of the stairs and opened the door leading outside, Akane was relieved to see a girl with a perky, red ponytail standing on the snow-covered rooftop. She and Ukyou both stared for a moment at the young girl, whose eyes were locked on the overcast sky to the west. She was looking at it so intently that she didn't even hear the door to the roof open.

Feeling mischievous, Ukyou crept up behind the spaced out girl and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Ri-n-go!"

"Wahh!" Ringo cried, her heart skipping a beat as she spun around. Seeing the okonomiyaki chef standing there with a wicked grin on her face, Ringo held her hand against her chest and took a deep breath. "You really scared me..."

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Ukyou chuckled.

"You had us worried, you know. What are you doing up here?" Akane asked her.

The redheaded girl ran her fingers through her hair as she turned and looked off to the west again.

Looking into the distant sky, Akane squinted her eyes to try and spot anything.

"Something's...coming," Ringo said.

Ukyou blinked as she stared off to the west for a moment before turning toward Ringo again. "Umm...there's nothing there, Sugar."

Ringo nodded her head. "I can't see it either, but...I feel like there's something coming."

Wondering if her friend had come down with some sort of illness, Ukyou placed her forehead against Ringo's to check for a fever. "Doesn't seem like you're sick..."

Somewhat embarrassed, Ringo rubbed the back of her head and laughed a bit. "I must sound crazy."

"I wouldn't go that far. It's just a little weird for you is all," Akane said to her. "What do you think is coming?"

"I'm not sure really, maybe it's just my imagination," Ringo replied. "I guess I made you two waste a lot of lunch period, huh?"

"That's right!" Ukyou exclaimed, smiling as she wrapped her arm around the redhead. "So why don't we go inside and eat real quick while we still have time?"

The three girls jumped in surprise when the door to the roof suddenly swung open. Akane then watched with displeasure as a man wearing a dark blue and black kendo outfit stormed toward her. Panting as he came to a halt, the man stood tall and looked into Akane's eyes.

"Akane Tendo, at last I've found you!" he said to her.

"Oh good, Upperclassman Kuno..." Akane grumbled under her breath.

Ukyou tried to keep herself from grinning, but she found it difficult not to. "Your knight in shining armor returns."

The youngest Tendo daughter shot an unpleasant look Ukyou's way, but that never stopped her from enjoying these moments before. Kuno's increased aggressiveness in his pursuit of dating Akane never sat well with the heir to the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, to say the least, but the interaction between the two of them was something that Ukyou found to be priceless. Tatewaki Kuno had effectively become her favorite form of entertainment while at school.

"Akane Tendo, I must speak with you regarding a matter of dire importance!" Kuno said in dramatic fashion.

"This should be good," Akane replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What is it?"

The elder Kuno sibling straightened out his kendo gi and brushed his hair back before looking at her with a dead serious expression on his face. "As much as it pains me to say this, I...I...must...graduate next month."

"I know, Nabiki is too. That's what you do when you've been here for three years," Akane said, sounding annoyed. "What about it?"

"Yes, well...it is regretful, but I may not be able to grace you with my presence as often," Kuno said, clenching his hands in front of him. "Alas, I cannot bear the thought of losing my precious time with you! Please, Akane, promise me that we shall still be able to see each other!"

While Ukyou leaned up against Ringo's shoulder to muffle her laughter, Akane grabbed Kuno by the collar of his gi and pulled his face close to her. "Can't you get it through that thick skull of yours? I don't WANT to see you!"

Akane gasped when the overly passionate man suddenly wrapped her in a tight embrace. "No, Akane Tendo! I know you only wish to ease my pain by pretending you will not miss me, but there is no need to comfort me, my love! I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, and I am prepared to endure any hardships, for the love you and I share is eternal!"

Ringo and Ukyou winced when Akane, finally out of patience, slugged Kuno in the gut and sent him crashing into the metal door that lead back downstairs.

"Ouch," Ringo mouthed, watching Kuno writhe in pain.

"And he's down for the count again," Ukyou laughed. "Nice shot, Akane."

Akane shook her hand a bit and let out an audible sigh. "Enough of this, let's go eat alre-"

"Akane...Tendo...!" Kuno shouted, interrupting her as he staggered to his feet. "Your love...your fiery passion...as always it...it astounds me..."

Fully prepared to knock him unconscious with a second blow, Akane was surprised when the door leading back downstairs opened and slammed into the back of Kuno's head, knocking him to the ground. The three girls blinked as a girl with short, brown hair peeked her head out from inside.

"Oops. Sorry about that, Kuno-baby. Didn't know you were there," Nabiki Tendo apologized in a very unconvincing manner.

Grabbing at the back of his head, Tatewaki Kuno looked back over his shoulder at the middle Tendo daughter with a look of irritation in his eyes. "Nabiki Tendo, I know not why you've struck me, but I shall overlook it this time. Now leave us, for I am speaking of something important with my love, Akane Tendo!"

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something too," Nabiki said, glancing over at her younger sister for a moment. "You don't mind if I borrow him, do you?"

"Please, take him," Akane pleaded.

"Thanks, Sis," Nabiki smiled, grabbing Kuno by the back of his gi and dragging him back inside. "Let's go, Kuno-baby. Time is money."

"How dare you? Did I not say I was speaking with Akane...?" Kuno shouted, his voice trailing off as the door shut behind him.

Mentally worn out, Akane put her hand over her face and took a deep breath. "Only a month and a half more and he'll be gone. I can't wait."

"Things just won't be the same without that guy around next year," Ukyou joked. "What did your sister want with him though?"

"Who cares? He's gone," Akane replied indifferently. "Can we go eat lunch now?"

Ukyou happily grabbed Ringo by the arm and began pulling her toward the door. "Yup, good idea! Let's go, you!"

"R-right," Ringo replied.

Before they went back inside, Ringo took one more look at the sky to the west. She knew she felt something strange coming from that direction, and it seemed to be getting closer as the hours passed by. What was it though? Something good? Something bad? And why was it that only she seemed to notice it?

* * *

Throughout the remainder of the day's classes, Ringo constantly found herself glancing out the windows. As much as she wanted the peculiar feeling she was experiencing to go away, it only grew stronger as the day wore on. It was something like a strong sense of anticipation, she thought, only it didn't belong to her.

By the time she was walking home from school alongside Akane and Ukyou, the feeling that she sensed had gotten incredibly close. Her act of keeping her eyes on the sky as she walked only drew more concern from her friends.

"You're still acting funny," Ukyou said to her.

Taking a moment to realize that someone was talking to her, Ringo shook her head and looked over at the okonomiyaki chef. "Sorry, what did you say, Ukyou?"

"You were spacing off again," Ukyou muttered. "What's up with you today?"

"Are you still getting that weird feeling?" Akane asked.

Ringo nodded in reply before turning her gaze back toward the west sky. "It's...really close now."

Akane shared a worried look with Ukyou for a second. "Maybe we should let Dr. Tofu take a look at you..."

Before the distracted redhead could reply, a figure shrouded in a flurry of black rose petals came from out of nowhere and landed on the concrete road in front of the girls. Pointing her violet ribbon at Ringo with an outstretched arm, she shot a familiar icy glare at the girl.

"Greetings and salutations, red-haired one," Kodachi Kuno said to her. Wearing a dark violet coat over the Winter uniform of St. Hebereke School for Girls, she snapped her ribbon twice and held it out in front of her once more. "Would you like to tell me where my darling Ranma is now, or shall I have to force it out of you?"

While Ringo stepped back out of fear for her safety, Akane and Ukyou hurriedly rushed in front of her to protect their friend.

"Kodachi!" Akane snarled.

"You just never quit, do ya?" Ukyou said to her.

Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno was someone that neither Akane nor Ukyou considered a serious threat for much of the time they'd known her. Once Ranma disappeared and Ringo showed up in his place, however, the two of them saw a drastic behavioral change in the gymnast. That unusual woman who was once just cocky and arrogant, smiling with rapture every time she had the pleasure of standing before Ranma, had become bitter and vengeful when she learned that her darling was missing.

Unfortunately, Ringo had become the focus of Kodachi's negative feelings, and in trying to protect the redhead, Akane and Ukyou had found Kodachi to be legitimately dangerous. She wanted to tear Ringo to pieces, and she had no qualms about going through Akane and Ukyou to do it.

"Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji," Kodachi said, looking upon them with a controlled yet obvious fury in her eyes. "I've grown tired of your incessant interference. You will stand aside this instant, or you shall face dire consequences. It is up to you."

"Ooh, scary," Ukyou said, mocking the intent woman. "Ringo doesn't know where Ranma-honey is! What don't you understand about that?"

"Lies!" Kodachi screamed.

"It's the truth, you lunatic!" Akane yelled back at her angrily. "There's no reason for you to hurt her, and we won't let you!"

Closing her eyes for a moment, Kodachi took a deep breath and slowly opened them again.

"So be it..."

Akane and Ukyou were nearly knocked off their feet when Kodachi began twirling her ribbon, causing a torrential wind to swirl about. Ringo, not at all used to such a force, fell backward and rolled several times before managing to stop on the snowy street.

"Ringo! Are you okay?" Akane yelled out, holding her arms up to shield her face.

Ukyou's eyes widened as she looked upon Kodachi. The woman's battle aura was massive, unlike anything she'd ever seen from her before. She and Akane had always been able to fend off Kodachi until now, but this wasn't normal. This was frightening.

Kodachi's twirling ribbon becoming a blur, the funnel shape that it formed began to glow a bright purple color. The concrete walls along the sides of the street began to crack from the sheer force of the violent winds as they continued to kick a cloud of snow into the air.

"Have you prepared yourselves?" Kodachi asked venomously.

Pulling out the large spatula from behind her back, Ukyou spun around frantically and yelled out to her redheaded friend. "Ringo, get out of here now! Run!"

When Akane looked back, she noticed that Ringo was paying no attention to what was going on with Kodachi. Instead, her eyes were once again locked on the sky to the west.

"It's...here," Ringo said.

Staring at her in confusion, Akane and Ukyou both shifted their gaze to the sky to see what she was looking at. The sight that awaited the two of them drew a gasp from Akane, who knew immediately what it was.

Her body unmoving, Kodachi peeked up at the sky and saw an airship being supported by a large, yellow inflated device. Letting the winds die down and her ribbon come to a rest, she turned her head and squinted to get a better view of the airborne object.

"What is that?" Kodachi asked them.

"That's...that's Kirin's airship from Nekonron," Akane replied. "What is it doing here?"

"It's from China?" Ukyou asked, her face lighting up. "Do...do you think..."

After the airship cruised above them and began heading in the general direction of the Tendo residence, Ringo smiled excitedly and began running after it. "It's him! He's back!"

Akane and Ukyou looked back and forth at each other for a moment and blinked.

"Him? Does she mean who I think she means?" Ukyou began to say.

Not able to hold back any longer, Akane quickly began running after Ringo.

"Hey! Wait up!" the okonomiyaki chef shouted as she stormed after the two of them.

Left by herself, a stunned Kodachi stared up at the airship. "Ranma...my darling Ranma, could it truly be you?"

Her interest piqued, the Black Rose hurried behind the other girls toward the Tendo home.

* * *

At the Tendo home, Kasumi was peeking out the sliding door that led to the garden while Soun read the newspaper and Genma munched on rice crackers while watching tv.

Well aware of the unusual sound outside that had grown louder as the minutes went by, Soun found himself unable to concentrate on his reading. "It certainly is noisy outside today."

"And cold too," Genma added, rubbing his arms to try to keep warm. "Why do you have that door open, Kasumi?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Saotome," Kasumi apologized. "It's just...there's a ship hanging above our house, and it seems very familiar."

"A ship?" Soun and Genma asked simultaneously, sharing a curious look before the both of them stood up and went to get a look for themselves.

As Kasumi slid the door open more to allow the two gentlemen some room, Soun and Genma both gasped at the sight of the airship.

"Th-that's...that's the Seven Lucky Gods airship!" Soun exclaimed. "What are they doing here?"

"Do you think they came back for Akane?" Genma asked.

Enraged at the very thought, Soun stormed out into the snow-covered garden and stood defiantly. "I won't allow it! Absolutely not!"

Unfortunately for Soun Tendo, he happened to be standing directly in the landing spot of a redheaded girl that had just bounded over the wall surrounding their home. With her eyes still on the airship, Ringo's knees smashed into Soun's face and knocked him to the ground.

Once she looked down and realized what she'd done, Ringo cupped her hands over her mouth in remorse. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Tendo! I didn't see you there, honest! Are you okay?"

"No...no worries, Ringo," Soun replied, slowly standing back up while holding his nose with one hand.

As fate would have it, once Soun looked up he was struck in the face by another pair of knees and once again knocked into the snow and flat on his back.

"Dad?" Akane shrieked. She, too, had been keeping her eyes on the sky and didn't notice her ill-fortuned father standing there.

"Oh my, are you okay, Father?" Kasumi asked with concern.

"I'm sorry, Dad! I didn't see you!" Akane apologized immediately.

Seeing that his friend was having trouble getting himself up after the inadvertent assault by his daughter, Genma walked over and tried to pull him to his feet. "Come on now, Tendo, shake it off. You've taken much worse beatings from the Master, remem-"

Genma was stopped in mid-sentence when a foot caught him in the side of the head and stomped him to the ground alongside Soun.

Noticing that she'd struck something, Ukyou blinked and looked down at the fallen Genma. "Oopsie. Sorry about that..."

"What...what's going on with you girls today...?" Genma asked, holding his head while trying to stand up. He barely got back to his feet before another pair of legs came down from above and stomped him back into the ground, using his body as a landing cushion.

Akane, Ukyou, and Ringo looked nervously at Kodachi, who was glaring at them from atop Genma's fallen body.

"My darling Ranma...where is he?" the impatient gymnast asked them again.

When Ringo tilted her head upward and stared at the airship hovering above the Tendo home, Akane, Ukyou, Kodachi, and Kasumi all followed suit and watched to see what would happen. It wasn't long before a long rope was dropped from the ship and two figures began to slide down it from high above. The first one had long, lavender hair and was wearing a dark blue outfit including a short-sleeved Chinese shirt and pants. The other had a black pigtail and wore a red Chinese shirt with black pants.

Everyone on the ground recognized the pair descending toward them, but they almost couldn't believe it. It seemed like it had been forever since they'd seen them. Some had been wondering if they ever would again. Once the two hopped off from the rope and down onto the surface of the snowy garden, however, everyone confirmed for themselves that they weren't mistaken.

The rope was pulled up and the looming airship began its trek back to Nekonron, leaving the two visitors standing before the speechless onlookers.

"Nihao!" Shampoo greeted them, beaming with energy as she waived her hand in the air.

Ranma scratched his head for a moment while looking around at the group that had been waiting for them. "Hey, guys. Didn't think you'd all be here..."

Unable to restrain herself, an overjoyed and emotional Ringo jumped out and wrapped one arm around each of the new arrivals.

"Ranma! Shampoo! You're okay!" Ringo cried, weeping as she held them tightly.

"Aiyaa! Shampoo no see Ringo for such long time!" Shampoo smiled.

"Hey, I guess Jynn really did take care of ya," Ranma said, sounding relieved. "You been gettin' along with everyone?"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Ringo began to laugh happily. "Mostly, yes..."

"Ranma-darling!"

"Ranma-honey!"

The pigtailed boy was ripped out of Ringo's grasp and tackled to the ground by the passionate pair of Ukyou and Kodachi, who began rubbing their faces against his cheeks.

Ranma's face turned red with embarrassment at the affectionate gesture. "H-hey! C'mon...cut it out...!"

"Where've you been all this time, Ran-chan? Don't you know how much I missed you?" Ukyou cried.

Kodachi, too, was weeping with joy. "Oh, my darling Ranma, the days I spent without you were simply agonizing! You must never leave me like that again!"

"Oh my, it's so good to see you're both alright!" Kasumi exclaimed happily.

While Shampoo sneered down at the display of Ranma love going on in the snow, Ringo peeked over her shoulder at the still speechless Akane. Sitting himself up with Ukyou and Kodachi each clinging to one of his arms, Ranma looked up into Akane's stunned eyes and smiled.

"Umm...hey," Ranma greeted her, unsure of what exactly to say.

When Akane suddenly dropped down to her knees, Ranma saw on her face one of the happiest looks he'd ever seen from her. She wasn't upset or jealous about what the other girls were doing, she was just genuinely relieved and elated that he'd come home. Falling forward and wrapping her arms around him, Akane buried her face in his chest and let her tears soak into his shirt.

"Akane..." Ranma said.

"Idiot," The youngest Tendo daughter said, her voice muffled by Ranma's shirt. "Don't ever worry me like that again."

Seemingly content with the reaction, Ranma nodded his head and smiled down at her. "Yeah, sorry..."

"R-Ranma, my boy...you're back...!" Genma stammered, trying once again to get himself up.

"It's...so good...to see both of you...alive and...well..." Soun added, enduring his own battle to make it to his feet after the forceful blows to the face he'd taken. "Where on earth...have you two been...?"

"Many things happen," Shampoo replied, folding her arms as she continued to shoot a contemptuous look at the three girls clutching onto Ranma.

Well aware of the increasingly bad aura coming from the Amazon warrior, Ranma had to quickly think of a way to move things along. "Y-yeah, we'll tell ya all about it. Could we go inside though? Kinda cold out here..."

The girls were surprisingly willing to let Ranma up before they all escorted him into the Tendo home. Once everyone had calmed down and seated themselves at the table, Ranma and Shampoo gave them all a thorough explanation of everything that had happened since they'd disappeared from Japan.

* * *

"...and now we're back," Ranma said, wrapping up the long story. "Sorry 'bout not comin' back earlier."

"No, there's no need to apologize, son," Soun Tendo quickly told him, he along with everyone else feeling both shocked and disturbed by certain things that had happened to the pair in China. "You two have had to endure some very painful things while you were away. We have no right to be upset with you."

Genma nodded in complete agreement. "He's right, boy. I never wanted you to have to go through something like that. I guess the fact that you did makes me a failure as a father, but I'm glad you're okay. If only I'd known this would have happened, I would have gone and helped you fight them that day..."

"Aww, don't say stuff like that, Pop," Ranma said to his father. He wasn't normally one to comfort the man who'd caused him more than his fair share of grief over the years, but this was one thing that he didn't blame Genma for. "I didn't want ya helpin' me anyway. Li challenged me, I accepted. It was my fight. That's all there is to it."

Ranma's father smiled proudly at his son's words. "You've become a fine man, Ranma. Your mother would be proud."

"Yes, that was truly touching, darling," Kodachi said, dabbing a handkerchief under her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Worry not. As your future wife, I shall do everything possible to make you forget that awful endeavor!"

"Future wife, my fanny!" Ukyou snapped at the passionate gymnast. "All he needs is some tender loving care and some home cooking from yours truly, and he'll be better than ever."

Everyone backed away once an intense staredown ensued between Kodachi and the okonomiyaki chef.

"Now, girls, let's not let our tempers get the best of us," Soun said quickly, trying to calm them down before his home became an unfortunate victim of a battle.

While Ukyou and Kodachi let cooler heads prevail and backed down, Akane was looking back and forth between Ranma and the lavender-haired Amazon in a very curious manner.

"So...you stopped Shampoo from getting married?" Akane asked the pigtailed boy.

"Yup," Ranma replied in a very nonchalant manner.

It was only when Shampoo began getting some upset stares from the other girls that Ranma realized the impact of what he'd just said. Shampoo, however, didn't seem to mind as she giggled to herself and looked slyly at the others.

"Ranma so incredible that day. He break down door to wedding hall and say he no leave without Shampoo, make Great-Grandmother very mad," Shampoo explained. "Then he beat up groom and take Shampoo home. Is very romantic, yes?"

Her jealousy finally beginning to show, Akane folded her arms and leered coldly at her fiancée. "It sure is..."

Ranma, not liking where this was going one bit, laughed nervously and hastily changed the subject. "Anyway! Hey, Mom must've been askin' about me, right? Whatcha tell her?"

"Oh, you were supposedly on a training trip with your father every time she came here," Kasumi said with an amused giggle. "I do feel bad for going along with a lie like that, but we didn't want her to worry about you."

Genma, who had to quickly change to his panda form every time his wife, Nodoka, came around, grimaced at the memory of her visits. "Every time she came she'd be worried about you, but would she be concerned about her dear husband? Of course not..."

Soun placed a hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "There now, Saotome, I'm certain she was just as concerned about you as she was Ranma..."

Just then, everyone heard the sound of a stomach growling loudly and turned toward a red-faced Ranma.

"I'd recognize that tummy growl anywhere!" Ukyou snickered. "You hungry, Ran-chan?"

"Uhh...kinda, yeah," Ranma admitted reluctantly.

"Oh, Father, perhaps we should have a celebration for their return?" Kasumi suggested.

"Yes! That's a fantastic idea!" Soun exclaimed. "You're all welcome to join us for dinner tonight!"

"Ooh, a party! I'll help with the cooking!" Ukyou said, hurrying toward the kitchen.

Not one to be shown up, Kodachi stood and rushed into the kitchen. "For my darling Ranma, I shall offer my skills as well!"

While Kasumi went to join in the cooking, the others prompted Ranma for some more details about his journey. Noticeably interested was Akane, who'd moved closer to him once everyone else left.

Seemingly undeterred by Shampoo's tale of the crashed wedding, Akane was looking very comfortable sitting next to Ranma. Too comfortable for the Amazon girl's liking, in fact, but Shampoo knew that this wasn't the time nor place to put up a fuss. It was Ranma's first time back to Japan in a long while, and he'd done a lot for her in China. She owed it to him to simply turn the other cheek this one time. That didn't mean she had to sit there and watch it though.

Ranma looked up when he noticed Shampoo stand and begin walking toward the door to the garden. "Hey, where ya goin'?"

"Shampoo need go check on restaurant fast. No take long," she assured him.

"Oh, I'll go with you!" Ringo said, hopping up suddenly. "Do you mind?"

Shampoo was a bit surprised that Ringo wanted to come along, but she didn't mind. "Is okay if you want come."

"Okay!" Ringo said happily, turning toward Ranma as she followed behind Shampoo. "We'll be back soon!"

"'Kay," Ranma replied.

Watching Shampoo and Ringo leave, Ranma had an uneasy feeling in his gut. After everything that had happened, he almost didn't want to let either of them out of his sights. The time of danger was over though, he thought to himself. There was nothing to be concerned about anymore, or nothing that involved either of them at least. Silently letting himself relax, the pigtailed boy shook his head and continued talking about his ordeal to Akane and the others.

* * *

Hearing the lock click after turning the key, Shampoo slid the door to the Cat Café open and stepped inside. With Ringo following close behind, Shampoo flipped on the lights to get a better look at the restaurant.

Everything was as Cologne and Mousse had left it, aside from the dust covering the tables, chairs, and everything else in the building.

"Aiyaa, is mess," Shampoo said, letting out a small sigh as she placed her hands on her hips.

Ringo curiously knelt down and scooped up a bit of the dust on her finger. "It's not so bad. Nothing lots of dusting and scrubbing won't fix."

"Is easier say than do," Shampoo muttered.

The Amazon's annoyed look drew a giggle from the redhead beside her. "Oh, I wanted to ask, are Elder Cologne and Mousse coming soon?"

Shampoo shrugged in response. "No know where Mousse is, but Great-Grandmother say she busy right now."

"So...who's going to help you run the restaurant?" Ringo asked her.

"Is only Shampoo now," Shampoo replied, looking deep in thought as she tried to figure out a plan. "Need hire waitress to help, but need to call delivery people and clean first. So much to do..."

Noticing that Ringo had started twiddling her fingers, the lavender-haired girl turned and gave her a curious look.

"Umm...I could waitress, if you don't mind..." the redhead offered.

Shampoo quirked an eyebrow in the girl's direction while trying to digest the request. "Ringo...want to be waitress?"

Ringo nodded in reply. "I mean, I know I have classes during the day, but I could help out after that! And on weekends too!"

"Why you want work here?" Shampoo asked.

"I just...I want to help out any way that I can," Ringo replied, a sad expression coming over her. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you and Ranma again, but while you two were going through all that...I was just living here peacefully. I feel like...like I should have done more..."

The redhead raised her head when Shampoo assuringly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Aroma do right thing to send Ringo here," Shampoo said to her. "Everything okay now, so Shampoo no want you feel bad. Ringo understand?"

"I know," Ringo admitted, trying not to bring herself down any further with the negative thoughts. "Still, I want to help you here. Will you let me?"

Ringo watched Shampoo fold her arms and turn away from her to contemplate for a moment. After tilting her head back and forth several times, the Amazon finally turned around and smiled at her.

"Shampoo hire Ringo then. Is okay?" Shampoo said, giving her a wink.

"O-of course! Thank you, Shampoo!" Ringo replied happily.

That was one problem solved, Shampoo thought to herself. Deciding to put off cleaning for the next morning, she locked up the restaurant again and headed back to the Tendo residence alongside her newly hired waitress.

* * *

When Shampoo and Ringo returned, they found Ranma in girl form standing atop the panda body of her father, who'd gotten a bit overzealous in wanting to see for himself that his son was cured of the Jusenkyo curse. The sight of girl-type Ranma left Ringo deeply confused, to say the least.

"Welcome back, you two," Soun greeted them.

"Hey, they really do look like twins," Akane joked, referring to Ringo and Ranma.

"R-R-Ranma! Why are you still cursed? I thought you wouldn't turn into a girl anymore!" Ringo asked frantically.

Ranma snorted as she rubbed her foot into the back of Genma's head. "Yeah, that's what we thought too. I ain't that lucky though, I guess."

"So separating Ringo from you didn't work then," Akane said, scratching her head in wonder. "Still, couldn't you guys have gone to Jusenkyo before you came home?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Shampoo and Ranma looked back and forth at each other.

Akane wasn't wrong. Going to the Jusenkyo Springs was indeed something that they'd thought of, but what happened when they got there was something that left Ranma exhausted and Shampoo feeling a great deal of concern for the pigtailed boy.

When Ranma tried stepping foot on the grounds of the Jusenkyo Springs, he immediately collapsed in pain. It was a pain from deep within his body, like something was trying with all its might to keep him away from that place. In the end, he couldn't go in there. Ranma told Shampoo to go get herself cured before they left, but she refused, saying that if Ranma had to live with his curse then she would live with hers too. No matter how much Ranma tried to convince her to do it, she wouldn't budge. Thus, the two of them left the Jusenkyo Springs with both of their curses still intact.

"Man, we totally forgot about that! We'll have to go back there sometime!" Ranma said in dramatic fashion, acting as though the thought had slipped his mind.

"Aiyaa, that so silly! Why we no go there?" Shampoo added, laughing nervously. She knew better, but she could tell that Ranma didn't want everyone else to worry about him and decided to play along.

Before anyone could say anything else, Kasumi brought in some hot water for Ranma and changed him back to his male form before Ukyou and Kodachi brought in trays filled with food and set them down on the table.

"Food's ready, so let's party!" Ukyou proclaimed.

"Ohh, this looks excellent! Thank you, all of you!" Soun said excitedly.

And so, the celebration for the return of Ranma and Shampoo began. It was like old times at the Tendo home with the fiery interaction between the girls and the cocky demeanor of Ranma. With everything that had happened, there was one small detail that Ranma had forgotten though.

"So, Ranma, what are you going to do about school?" Soun asked him.

Ranma looked at him in confusion, not sure what he meant. "Whadya mean?"

"Well...aren't you a bit behind?" Soun asked him.

"Ohh, that's right," Ukyou said, realizing what he was getting at. "Ranma-honey's been gone for a while, and there's not even two months left in this school year."

"Wait, what're you sayin'?" Ranma asked her, not liking where this was going.

"You're going to fail, you dolt. You missed too much time," Akane replied, grinning with amusement as a thought occurred to her. "You'll have to call us Upperclassman Tendo and Upperclassman Kuonji next trimester while you're stuck repeating a year. Actually, even Ringo would be your senior..."

Ranma spit out a mouthful of tea all over the already disgruntled panda nearby.

"That would seem...awfully strange," Ringo said as she thought about it.

"What? No way! I ain't failin'!" Ranma declared adamantly.

"Ranma-honey, you'd have to make up all that work from when you were gone in six weeks. That's...a bit much, don't you think?" Ukyou asked him.

"I'll do it! There's no way I'm callin' you guys upperclassmen, got it?" Ranma replied with amazing determination.

Ukyou and Akane gave each other unsure looks while wondering if Ranma could actually manage this. Not surprising at all to them was the fact that Ranma seemed to want to do this for no reason other than not wanting to acknowledge the girls as his seniors.

"Ranma-darling, your passion is incredible, as always!" Kodachi laughed in admiration. "If you so wish to complete all that schoolwork, then please, allow moi to assist you?"

"And leave you alone with him? Forget it!" Ukyou snapped at the gymnast. "You don't go to the same school as us anyway!"

"Honestly, there's no telling what you'd do," Akane added, leering over at Kodachi before turning back toward Ranma. "If you're really that determined, I guess I'll help you study."

"Really?" Ranma asked.

"Hey, no fair! I'm gonna help too!" Ukyou demanded.

"Excuse me, but I do believe I offered first!" Kodachi said angrily.

With the three girls arguing amongst themselves, Ranma decided to stay out of it for now. He wasn't sure about Kodachi's offer, but getting some help from Akane and Ukyou probably couldn't hurt, he figured.

Ringo would have offered her help as well, but she knew she was already going to be busy helping Shampoo at the restaurant after school every day. Still, she felt assured that Akane and Ukyou would be plenty of help for Ranma, so she didn't feel quite so bad about it.

Looking around the room for a moment, Ranma noticed that Shampoo wasn't around. It wasn't long, however, before he finally saw her sitting on the walkway outside, facing the garden.

Shampoo was quietly sipping at her cup of tea and staring up at the moon when she heard someone sit down next to her.

"Whatcha doin' way out here?" Ranma asked her.

Seeing the pigtailed boy take a seat next to her, Shampoo smiled and set her cup down on the floor next to her. "They no see Ranma for long time, so Shampoo try stay out of way."

Ranma scratched his head, puzzled by the uncharacteristic, selfless actions of his Amazon friend. "That's...not like you."

Shampoo shot him a devious smile in response. "Is just this one day, so no get Ranma in trouble. After this, Shampoo no let girls get Ranma so easy."

"Now that does sound like you," Ranma chuckled, somehow happy to hear Shampoo acting like her old self. "Hey, thanks for not tellin' 'em about Jusenkyo."

"Is no problem. Shampoo understand," she replied. "What this about school Shampoo hear?"

"Oh, that," Ranma grumbled, not looking forward to the task at all. "I'm way behind 'cuz I was gone for so long, so I'm gonna try to get caught up before the school year ends next month."

Shampoo closed her eyes and let out a sigh as she looked up into the sky. "So Ranma be busy..."

It was then that Ranma remembered the conversation he'd had with Shampoo back in China before they fought Li and Meilin. This was exactly what Shampoo had expressed concern about, he realized.

"Yeah, I'll be busy," Ranma said to her, "but I promised to spend time with ya, right? I don't forget my promises."

The Amazon girl spun around and looked hopefully into Ranma's eyes. "Ranma mean it?"

"Yup," he replied without hesitation.

Ranma felt embarrassed when he heard Shampoo giggling to herself. "What's so funny?"

"Ranma no put up as much fight as used to," Shampoo laughed. She then rested her head on her knees and smiled as she looked over at him. "Ranma remember other promise?"

"Other promise?" he asked curiously.

Shampoo nodded. "If beat Li and Meilin, Ranma promise to go on date to celebrate."

Ranma put his hand on his chin as he thought back to their conversation at the time. "Ohhh yeah, I guess I did say somethin' like that, didn't I?"

Seeing the hopeful look in the Amazon's eyes, Ranma threw his hands up into the air in resignation. "Alright, alright. When you wanna go?"

"Shampoo...think wait for right time. No go just yet," she said with a clever smile.

"Wait?" Ranma asked, not expecting such patience from the lavender-haired girl. "Well, whatever. I won't forget."

Noticing the shadows of people entering the light around where they sat, Ranma and Shampoo looked back to see Ukyou and Kodachi standing over them.

"And what do you two think you're doing over here?" Ukyou asked, sounding annoyed.

Ranma felt a chill run down his spine when he saw a wicked smile cross Shampoo's face.

"Shampoo just asking Ranma if he want sleep together...again," she said in a sultry voice.

Completely taken aback by Shampoo's words, the girls looked absolutely shocked for a moment before that initial feeling gave way to pure rage.

"What?" Ukyou yelled.

"R-Ranma-darling, say this vile woman lies...!" Kodachi pleaded with him.

"H-hey, it ain't like that! Shampoo, tell 'em, will ya?" Ranma begged her.

Still sitting at the table with everyone else, Akane had been watching the interaction between Ranma and Shampoo from the moment he'd gone over and sat down by her. It was discomforting for her to see them acting so close, but she knew she shouldn't be surprised. The two of them had become friends even before they'd been taken away to China, and then they endured all those hardships together. It was only natural that they'd be like this now.

Ringo peered over at the scene on the walkway for a moment before turning back to Akane. "What's the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing," Akane laughed, turning her gaze to Ranma again. "I guess I still have to get used to the two of them being friends..."

The young redhead didn't respond as she stared silently at her cup of tea. She really liked both Akane and Shampoo, but she knew how they both felt about Ranma. Things could get difficult for her if they began fighting over Ranma again, but for now, at least, things were calm.

The sound of Ranma's discomfort clearly audible outside, Soun and panda-form Genma continued to down their saké in a very relaxed manner.

"It certainly is nice to have everything back to normal, isn't it, Saotome?"

"Grrrawr..."

The celebration lasted for hours longer, and as much as she wanted to, Akane couldn't get the image of Ranma and Shampoo conversing on the walkway out of her head. As far as anyone else knew, they were just friends. It was probably true, too. But seeing how relaxed they acted around each other, Akane couldn't help but wonder to herself. Was that really, truly all there was to it?

* * *

**End of Chapter 18**


	19. Mousse's Rage

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Inside the private chambers of Amazon Elder Cologne, numerous books and tomes lay strewn across the floor and desk. Gripping a small paintbrush with her wrinkled, bony hands, she dipped the tip into a container of thick, white paint and continued to brush unusual symbols onto a chain of jade stones with the utmost precision.

After the commotion that Ranma had caused at the failed wedding of Ming and Shampoo, making peace with the leaders of that village was surprisingly easy for her. While she wanted to credit the positive relationship between the two Amazon villages for that, she had a feeling that the residents of the other village simply wanted nothing to do with Ranma and his monstrous pet anymore. Ming, at least, felt no animosity toward either Ranma or Cologne for the incident. He'd fought with everything he had against a strong warrior in a duel amongst men, and with that he was satisfied.

Once Cologne and Aroma had returned to Joketsuzoku, the Amazon elder informed the rest of the village about what had happened and then wasted no time secluding herself in her chambers. Things may have been smoothed over with Ming's village, but the images of his battle with Ranma that day were still at the forefront of Cologne's mind. She knew that Ranma's patience had limits and that eventually he was going to be pushed to a point where the feline beast within would show itself again.

A bead of sweat rolled down from Cologne's forehead as she made one last stroke of the paintbrush and set it down on her desk. Eying the chain of stones before her carefully, she leaned back in her chair and let out a deep breath.

"_This should do it,_" she said to herself in Mandarin.

"_OLD WOMAN!_"

Hearing the roar coming from outside, Cologne turned and watched as the door to her chambers slammed open. With the old woman in his sights, a man wearing thick glasses and a white robe stomped toward her with rage burning in his eyes.

"_You could benefit from being more respectful, Mousse,_" Cologne chided him.

"_Respect?! Like you deserve that after what you've done!_" Mousse snapped back at her. "_How dare you marry Shampoo off while I'm out looking for Ranma?!_"

"_A wedding goes much more smoothly when you're not there making a ruckus,_" Cologne sighed. "_In the end it was ruined regardless though. I never thought the son-in-law would show up there..._"

Mousse's eyes widened with surprise at the news of the wedding's failure. He'd heard about Shampoo's wedding in a nearby village just earlier in the day, but he wasn't aware of what had transpired there.

"_Wait...son-in-law? You mean..._" Mousse began to say.

Cologne nodded. "_Yes, that son-in-law. Ranma defeated Shampoo's groom and left with her._"

While Mousse tried to sort out this new revelation, Cologne noticed the long-haired man leaning against the doorway behind him. She could tell immediately who it was. The scar across his face was unmistakable.

"_Ranma is alive?_' Jynn asked, peering over at her with his arms folded across his chest. "_Where is he?_"

"_He and Shampoo have returned to Japan, of course,_" Cologne answered.

Propping himself up again, Jynn turned toward the doorway and looked back at Mousse. "_Are you coming?_"

With a troubled expression on his face, the visually challenged warrior clenched his fists together at his sides. "_Ranma...stopped Shampoo's wedding...?_"

"_Mousse?_" Jynn said, looking curiously at his old friend.

His resolve firm, Mousse spun around and began walking toward the door. "_We're going!_"

"_Wait!_"

Jynn and Mousse both turned and looked back at the Amazon elder hopping out of her chair.

"_I wish to come with you. There is something in Japan that requires immediate attention,_" Cologne said to them, a necklace of jade stones dangling in her right hand. "_Do you object to my coming along?_"

Getting a quick glance from his friend, Jynn shrugged his shoulders and walked out the door.

"_Do as you wish..._"

* * *

In the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, the sound of customers conversing and food sizzling in the kitchen filled the Cat Café while an energetic Ringo tied a fresh, white apron over the pink Chinese attire that Shampoo had lent her for the job. There was no need to worry about school since it was Sunday, so she'd come early in the morning to help Shampoo with random tasks before the customers began flooding in for lunch.

Shampoo was a bit surprised to see business pick up to the same level it was at before the Li and Meilin incident after only several days of being open, especially considering how long the restaurant had been closed. Many long-time customers expressed relief when the restaurant opened again, having grown fond of the cooking of Shampoo and her great-grandmother long ago.

Ringo, meanwhile, was a little rough around the edges in her first days of waitressing. A spill here and a broken plate there wasn't enough to upset Shampoo though, as she understood that this would take some getting used to. In the couple of weeks since then, the eager redhead had gotten much better through doing the repetitions of her job everyday. She was even becoming good at interacting with customers, which was perhaps the most difficult task for her to master given her shy and introverted nature.

"Two orders ready!" Shampoo shouted from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Ringo called out, rushing over to grab two bowls of steaming hot ramen noodles from the counter.

Things were always fast-paced during the lunch and dinner hours, but Ringo still enjoyed working with her lavender-haired friend.

Once the lunch hour had ended and the restaurant emptied, Shampoo joined the redheaded waitress in cleaning off the tabletops.

"Ringo be sure get every spot," Shampoo said, grinding a sponge against a drop of dried soup on one of the tables.

"Right!" Ringo replied with enthusiasm.

Hearing the bell on the door jingle all of a sudden, the two girls turned to greet what they thought was a customer coming in for a late lunch.

"Welc-...Ranma?" Shampoo asked, watching a baggy-eyed girl with a pigtail stumble through the doorway.

"H-hey..." Ranma said, using a chair to brace herself. "Man, I'm so tired of studyin'..."

The sight of an exhausted Ranma was nothing new to Shampoo these days. In the times he'd come to the restaurant for a chat since they'd returned to Japan, this was how he'd always shown up. The task of trying to make up all of the schoolwork he'd missed during his time in China was proving to be an incredible challenge for him, even with the help he was getting from Akane and Ukyou. It was still possible for him to pass his courses, but Shampoo was beginning to worry about whether or not he could hold out for the one month remaining in the school year.

"Are...you okay, Ranma?" Ringo asked worriedly.

Looking Ranma over with concern in her eyes, Shampoo walked up to her, placed a hand on her cheek, and rubbed her thumb under Ranma's left eye. "Silly Ranma need to rest once in while. Why you girl right now?"

Feeling confused, the pigtailed girl looked down at herself and blinked. "I'm in girl form? Didn't even notice..."

"Ranma..." Shampoo began to say, but a panicked look on Ranma's face stopped her.

Rushing over to Ringo, Ranma yanked the apron off of her and picked her up with her good arm.

"W-wahh! Ranma, what are you doing?!" Ringo shrieked.

"Just hide for a sec! I'm beggin' ya!" Ranma pleaded, tossing the screaming Ringo over the counter and into the kitchen.

Putting the apron on herself with haste, Ranma grabbed the sponge that Ringo had been using and started scrubbing one of the tabletops.

Shampoo was about to ask what exactly Ranma was doing when she heard a bell jingle again. Glancing toward the door, an annoyed look came over her as she saw Akane walk into her restaurant.

"Oh, hi Akane!" Ranma greeted her in a very peppy manner.

"Hey there...Ringo?" Akane said, quirking an eyebrow at the girl.

"Yep, that's me!" Ranma exclaimed. "What brings you here?"

The youngest Tendo daughter began to stare suspiciously at the redhead cleaning the tables. "Yeah...did Ranma come by here a minute ago?"

"Nope! We haven't seen him!" Ranma replied cheerfully.

"Is that right?" Akane asked, eying the cast on the girl's right arm. "Say, Ringo...when did you hurt your arm?"

Ranma gulped while trying to come up with a good explanation on a whim. "Oh, this? Umm...I was carrying some boxes today and hurt it! Yeah!"

Akane folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Oh, really? And since when do you wear your hair in a pigtail? Didn't you tell us you liked the ponytail better?"

"Well...umm...! T-there's nothing wrong with changing it around every now and then, you know?!" Ranma said, laughing nervously. "The boys always say it looks good on me, and I do love compliments..."

Unable to bear the character defamation any longer, a blushing Ringo shot up from behind the kitchen counter. "Ranma, I do not act like that!"

Akane nodded to herself while Ranma slammed her forehead against the table she'd been cleaning. "That's what I thought. Ranma, do you want to pass your classes or don't you? I could always find something else to do with my time if you don't want help studying."

Letting out a deep sigh, Ranma took off the apron and tossed it on the table. "Yeah, I wanna pass..."

"Then quit playing around and let's get back to work," Akane ordered her.

Resigned to her fate, Ranma slumped over and dragged herself out the door.

Akane shook her head as she looked over at Ringo. "Sorry for the trouble."

Ranma's ill-tempered suitor was about to turn around and head back home, but the feeling of a pair of eyes staring a hole through her made her look toward Shampoo. Akane wasn't sure why, but the lavender-haired Amazon was glaring at her furiously.

Ringo quickly became nervous when Akane returned Shampoo's icy glare with one of her own. The tension in the air inside the restaurant was incredible. Ringo didn't like it, but she could feel just how much the two disliked each other. It might not be today, this week, this month, or even this year, she thought, but eventually things were going to break down to the point where they wouldn't be able to hold themselves back anymore.

Slowly backing away while keeping her eyes locked on Shampoo, Akane finally turned around and walked out the door, putting a merciful end to the intense staredown.

Ringo let out a sigh of relief as she walked over to the table and began putting her apron back on. "Well, it was Ranma's choice to go through this..."

Not saying a word, Shampoo closed her eyes and went back to scrubbing the table. She hated seeing Ranma and Akane together more than ever, and Ringo could tell. In a situation like this, the timid waitress just wasn't sure what she could say to Shampoo to calm her down.

The jingle of the door's bell suddenly ringing through the restaurant once again, Ringo turned toward the door to greet the new customer.

"Welcome-!" Ringo said, her voice trailing off when she noticed the long, blonde hair of the woman who entered. She was wearing a navy blue jogging suit and carried a black gym bag with her, and her hair, Ringo noticed, was absolutely radiant, stretching all the way down to the back of her kneecaps. "Wow, what pretty hair..."

Seemingly taken aback by the redhead's compliment, the woman had a surprised expression on her face as she looked over at Ringo.

Finally realizing what she'd just said, Ringo took her eyes off of the woman's hair and began to blush. "I-I'm sorry! That was so rude of me!"

"N-no, it's fine," the blonde woman assured her, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as well. "I'm just...not used to being complimented by strangers. Thank you."

A loud, cracking sound startling the both of them, they turned around to see Shampoo walking back toward the kitchen while the remnants of a wooden chair showered the dining area.

She'd finally let out the anger from earlier, Ringo thought to herself with a grimace on her face.

"Did...I come at a bad time?" the blonde woman asked.

"No, not at all! Please, sit wherever you like!" Ringo said emphatically. "Can I get you something to drink to start off your meal?"

"Water's fine," the woman replied, seating herself at a nearby table.

"Coming right up!" Ringo said, hurrying to the kitchen.

Shampoo was still fuming to herself when the redheaded waitress got back to the kitchen.

"Are...you feeling better?" Ringo asked her nervously.

"No really," Shampoo snorted in reply. "How dare Akane come to Cat Café when Shampoo talking to Ranma?!"

Ringo rubbed her head while trying to think of a way to diffuse Shampoo's anger. "I know, but she's just trying to help him..."

"That no is excuse!" Shampoo said angrily, slamming her palms down on a chopping board. "If Akane want come here, then maybe Shampoo go there."

"There?" Ringo asked curiously. "You mean...to Mr. Tendo's house?"

Shampoo nodded affirmingly before tossing a batch of dried noodles into some boiling water.

Overcome with a renewed concern for everyone's safety, Ringo cupped both of her hands over her mouth and let out a groan. This could get ugly in a hurry, she thought to herself. She could only hope that somehow, some way, things wouldn't end up like she thought they would.

* * *

That evening, a rickshaw led by the Kuno servant, Sasuke, pulled up outside the Tendo residence.

"We have arrived, Miss Tendo!" Sasuke announced to the rickshaw's occupant.

Stretching her legs out once she set foot on the ground, Nabiki smiled down at the miniature ninja. "Thank you for the ride. You really didn't need to do that though."

"No, it was my pleasure!" Sasuke replied, sounding honored to have been able to bring Nabiki home. "I...I know it may not be my place to say this, but...thank you so much!"

"Hmm? For what?" the middle Tendo daughter asked him.

Sasuke felt embarrassed as he looked down at the ground. "Master Kuno never had any kind of direction in life, nor did he ever think about his future. I think you've given him that direction he needed, Miss Tendo. For that, I'm very grateful to you!"

Nabiki chuckled to herself a bit while brushing her hair out of her face. "No need to thank me for that. This isn't charity work, it's something we'll both profit from. Get what I'm saying?"

"Y-yes, of course," Sasuke replied with an understanding nod. "Well then, please stop by anytime you wish, Miss Tendo! Farewell!"

While the rickshaw sped off toward the Kuno residence, Nabiki shrugged her shoulders and started walking toward the door.

Meanwhile, in Akane's room, Ukyou was helping Ranma go over Japanese history material for another of his makeup tests tomorrow while Akane prepared some problems to help her fiancée understand his next Calculus topic. Ranma, however, was feeling a lack of motivation at the moment.

Poking the corner of a stack of flashcards into Ranma's cheek, Ukyou tried to rouse her old friend from his position slumped over Akane's desk. "Come on now, Ranma-honey, we're making good progress! Only a few hours left..."

The pigtailed boy lazily swatted away the flashcards being jammed against his face. "C'mon, you guys. Just a little break? Please?"

"You can have a break when we're done. Now man up and get back to work," Akane told him. "Honestly, you were the one who wanted to do this you know."

Ranma let out a groan as he picked himself up off the desk and leaned back in his chair. "Man, this is too much..."

Without warning, Ranma's nose began to tingle when a succulent aroma danced around him. Briefly forgetting what he was doing, Ranma sniffed the air to figure out what it was he smelled all of a sudden. "It's...food. Oh man, that smells good. Where's it comin' from though?"

Akane was also curious after noticing the smell of food in the air. "That's weird. Why would Kasumi be cooking something again? We already had dinner..."

"It's not Kasumi," Ukyou said, her eyes focused sharply on Akane's door. "A chef doesn't forget the smell of someone's cooking. It's that bimbo's ramen."

The sound of footsteps coming from the hallway drew closer and closer until the door to Akane's room slowly cracked open. The three turned and looked as an incredibly nervous Ringo peeked her head into the room.

"S-sorry to interrupt you, but...umm...R-Ranma has a visitor..." the redhead announced.

Lacking the cautiousness that her waitress had shown, Shampoo slammed the door open and burst into the room with a metal carrying case in hand.

"Nihao!"

"Oh, hey. What's up?" Ranma greeted her in a very casual manner.

Realizing that Ukyou's prediction had been dead on, Akane narrowed her eyes and glared at the Amazon wrecking ball. "Shampoo? What are you doing here?"

After briefly sticking her tongue out in response to her rival's question, Shampoo turned and smiled at Ranma. "Shampoo think maybe Ranma need energy to study, so bring special ramen for snack."

"Really?" Ranma asked, his face brightening up significantly at the mention of food.

Shampoo opened up her case and put a steaming bowl of ramen and a pair of chopsticks down on the desk in front of Ranma. "Is very good, so eat up!"

"Yeah, this smells great! You're a lifesaver," Ranma replied gratefully, snapping the chopsticks apart as he got ready to dig into his food.

Unfortunately for Ranma, the sound of Akane and Ukyou clearing their throats drew his attention before he could begin eating.

"Aww, c'mon, just a little break? Just lemme eat real quick, I'm starvin'!" the pigtailed boy pleaded with them. "I'll do as much as ya want after this, I promise!"

Akane's nose began twitching with annoyance as she looked over at Ukyou. They didn't like Shampoo's intrusion one bit, for obvious reasons, but Ranma seemed like he would be much more reasonable if they just let him eat.

After getting a quick shrug from Ukyou, Akane let out a sigh and raised her palm into the air. "Five minutes. Then Shampoo leaves and you get back to work."

"Deal!" Ranma replied, digging into his snack without hesitation.

There was an obvious disturbance in the air between Akane, Ukyou, and Shampoo while Ranma ate. Ringo wasn't sure what she should do, but she felt better being able to keep an eye on the situation herself rather than leaving the room. Considering the incident at the Cat Café earlier, anything short of an all-out battle could be thought of as a positive result.

"So! Umm, what's different about the ramen, Shampoo?" Ringo asked, trying to make conversation to keep things calm.

"Shampoo use some different vegetables that help energize body," she replied. "Use special type of mushroom most."

"Mmm, so that's what that is," Ranma commented in-between bites.

Upset with the fact that Ranma was enjoying the ramen so much, Ukyou folded her arms and let out a huff. "I could've cooked you something if you were hungry, Ran-chan..."

"Maybe should think of that sooner," Shampoo giggled.

"Why you-!" Ukyou snapped, reaching for her giant spatula as she shot up from her seat.

"Not in here!" Akane shouted, successfully getting Ukyou to stop and sit back down before eying the Amazon. "I know what you're trying to do."

Shampoo looked back at Akane and grinned confidently. "And what that?"

"RAAAAAAAANMAAAAAAA-!"

Everyone in the room went silent when the sound of someone bellowing Ranma's name came from the direction of the front door.

"What on earth was that?" Ukyou wondered aloud.

"RANMAAAAAAAA-!"

Ranma dropped his chopsticks on the desk and looked around as the voice shouting his name boomed through the air once again. "Sounds like someone's callin' me out..."

Quickly standing up and walking out of the room, Ranma hurried down the stairs and headed for the front door. The curious group of Akane, Ringo, Shampoo, and Ukyou wasn't far behind him. When they got to the door, Soun, Genma, Kasumi, and Nabiki were already looking out to see what the commotion was.

"What the heck's goin' on?" Ranma asked as he pushed his way out the door. Once they got outside, Ranma and the others found a group of three people standing inside the front gate of the Tendo residence.

Those three people were Mousse, his old friend Jynn, and Cologne.

"She's back..." Genma groaned.

"Mousse? Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked, clearly surprised to see the Amazons standing before her.

Cologne smiled at her great-granddaughter from atop her cane. "Have you been well, Shampoo?"

"Now is not the time!" Mousse shouted, turning toward the object of his hatred as he stood in front of Cologne and Jynn clad in his favorite white robe. "Ranma!"

"What?" Ranma asked, his reaction to the Amazon crew showing up more annoyance than anything. It was then that he noticed the taller man standing next to Cologne. "And who the heck are you?"

"You don't recognize me without the mask?" Jynn asked him.

Ranma blinked several times before it finally occurred to him who he was talking to. "Ohh, you're that jerk that was spyin' on us for Li and Meilin."

"Jynn?" Ringo mouthed, cringing at the sight of the scar across his face. "My gosh, what happened to you...?

"This?" Jynn asked, pointing to the scar. "Just a little something Mousse gave me in our younger days."

"Mousse gave ya that? No kiddin'..." Ranma laughed, amused by the story.

"ENOUGH!"

The force of the loud yell caused everyone to turn their attention to Mousse, who still had his glasses resting on his forehead. His intolerance for idle chatter evident, the ill-sighted warrior seemed far more serious than anyone had seen him in a long while.

"I heard you stopped Shampoo's wedding," Mousse said calmly, his gaze focused on Ranma. "Is this true?"

"Maybe," Ranma replied with defiance. "What about it?"

Mousse's eyes narrowed at the pigtailed boy. "So, it's true then. In that case, I'd like to thank you. The old woman tried to have Shampoo married while I was gone. I'm glad things didn't work out that way."

After his noisy arrival, Ranma was surprised to hear Mousse thanking him of all things. "You just came here to thank me?"

"No," Mousse replied, closing his eyes while he pondered the decision he'd made one last time. There was no turning back, he thought. This was the right time for him, for Shampoo, for Ranma, and for everyone else who'd been involved over the years.

Everyone watched as Mousse walked forward with determination and stopped in front of them. Looking up into a man's eyes, he grabbed him by the scuff of his gi and pulled him in close.

"You wouldn't have stopped that wedding unless you'd gotten serious about her, Ranma," Mousse said.

Akane, Ukyou, Shampoo, and Ringo, among others, immediately looked over at Ranma to see what kind of reaction he had to the accusation.

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts was confused at first, but that initial feeling quickly gave way to a bout of anger brought on by embarrassment. "What?! First of all, put your glasses on, moron! That ain't me!"

"What?" Mousse said, sliding his glasses down over his eyes. Upon closer review, the one whose gi he'd grabbed hold of was actually Soun Tendo. "You're not Ranma..."

"You don't say..." Soun replied dryly.

"And second of all," Ranma continued, "don't go decidin' what I think of people! I ain't serious about no one, got it?!"

Undeterred by the declaration, Mousse stormed over to Ranma and looked him in the eyes.

"I don't believe you," Mousse told him. "That doesn't matter though. No matter how you feel about her, I know I still love her."

When the glasses-wearing Amazon glanced over at her, Shampoo folded her arms and looked away. "Shampoo tell you many time that you just stupid friend from child time! That never change, Mousse!"

In an uncharacteristic moment, Mousse chuckled a bit at the fiery response of his love interest. "That's right, that won't change. That won't change...until I beat you, Ranma."

The Tendo family and others were all wondering to themselves where Mousse was going with this.

"I can't keep living in a dream though," Mousse said. "That's why...this is the last time."

"Last time?" Ranma asked curiously.

Mousse nodded affirmingly. "I've learned a lot since we last crossed paths, Ranma, and one thing I learned was that I need to get serious and take what I want or I might lose it forever. Do you understand?"

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at the male Amazon, waiting impatiently for him to spit out what he wanted.

With passion evident in his eyes, Mousse raised a finger and pointed it into Ranma's face. "You against me, one last time. Right here. Right now. If I lose, I give up on marrying Shampoo for good. She's all yours. But if I win, Shampoo will marry me instead of you. Do you accept?"

Shampoo looked at Mousse with a shocked expression on her face. She couldn't believe that Mousse was actually saying he would give up on her if he lost. "Mousse..."

Always one to make light of a dramatic moment, Ranma simply scratched his head and shrugged. "I dunno 'bout all this marryin' stuff, but I don't back down from a challenge. You're on."

Akane and Ukyou shared a torn look for a moment. Despite their fondness for Ranma, his losing would mean that Shampoo would have to marry Mousse. It was the perfect chance to take her out of the equation for Ranma.

Ringo and Shampoo, on the other hand, were more concerned than anyone given the current state of Ranma's health.

"Ranma, you can't! You'll get hurt if you fight with a broken arm!" Ringo cried out.

"I might, yeah, but I'll take my chances," the pigtailed boy replied.

Looking upon Ranma's broken arm with concern, Shampoo clasped her hands to her chest tightly. "But, Ranma...what if lose? Shampoo believe Ranma can win now, but it be better if wait until arm is okay again."

"Nah, that won't happen. Mousse ain't gonna wait. This is the perfect chance for him," Ranma said with a smirk as he peered over at his opponent. "You said it yourself once, that you didn't need pride if it got in the way of winnin' Shampoo. Ain't that right?"

"I'm glad we understand each other," Mousse replied, not having any argument with Ranma's sentiment. "Are you ready?"

Before the battle could commence, Kasumi stepped in-between the two to stop them.

"Please wait!" the eldest Tendo daughter pleaded. "It would be a bother if the house was damaged, so if you have to fight could you please do it somewhere else?"

"She's right, it's been nice not having to spend money fixing all the damage you guys cause. We'd like to keep it that way," Nabiki added.

Taking the initiative, Ranma hopped up onto the retaining wall and began running away from the home.

"Mousse, I'll meet ya at the vacant lot! Hurry up!" he shouted.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Saotome!" Mousse snarled, chasing after him without hesitation.

After whispering something to Jynn, Cologne and the former colleague of Li and Meilin took off toward the vacant lot where the battle would take place. It wasn't long before Shampoo, Ringo, Akane, Ukyou, Genma, and Soun all followed them.

* * *

Once everyone had gathered at the vacant lot and Ranma and Mousse had thoroughly stretched out their muscles, the two were ready for their final battle to begin. The sun was beginning to set in the background, so there was only so much daylight remaining. That didn't bother the two determined men though. They were going to finish this whether it was light or dark outside.

"Don't regret this, man," Ranma said to him.

"I don't regret anything. Ever," Mousse replied bitterly.

The most interested bystander for this battle was by far Shampoo, who looked extremely concerned at the moment. Regardless of who won, the outcome was going to have a major impact on her life. Mousse may have been an annoyance to her, but his determination and resolve were admirable traits in a man. In this battle, however, Shampoo was hoping that, even with his right arm broken and suspended in a sling, Ranma would be able to fend off Mousse once again.

"Feeling uneasy, Shampoo?" Cologne asked her.

The lavender-haired girl nodded in reply. "No like to see Ranma fight when hurt, especially when fight this important."

Cologne smiled up at her great-granddaughter assuringly. "You'll just have to believe in him."

"You can do it, Ranma!" Akane shouted, voicing her support.

"That's right! Beat him up good, Ran-chan!" Ukyou added before whispering something to Akane. "Even though we want him to lose this time. Right, Akane?"

Akane didn't seem so pleased at the thought. "I know...I know, but...still...I want him to win."

The okonomiyaki chef gave Akane a puzzled look at the response. "You're out of your mind..."

Ringo, meanwhile, was fidgeting nervously, just hoping that Ranma wouldn't further injure himself.

"You haven't changed," Jynn chuckled as he looked over at her.

"Oh...hush!" Ringo pouted. "I just worry is all..."

Everyone watched Mousse and Ranma take up their stances for the battle to begin in the snow-covered lot. Their breath took form in the cold air as it left their mouths. Their knuckles cracked as they clenched their fists. And when a crow that was perched atop a nearby wall began flapping its wings and took off into the sky, they two of them jumped toward each other to start their attack.

"Come here!" Mousse screamed, sending a weighted chain flying from his robe's sleeve.

With a confident smirk on his face, Ranma moved his head to the side and let the chain go sailing over his shoulder as he ran in to attack. If everything was going to be this easy then he wouldn't even break a sweat, he thought to himself. As it would turn out, Ranma's assessment was a bit premature. At the back end of Mousse's chain was a hooked blade that came soaring out of his sleeve. Ranma's eyes went wide when he first saw the blade and he quickly moved to the side to get out of its range, but avoiding it completely was impossible at this distance. The blade grazed the side of Ranma's neck before sailing over his shoulder along with the rest of the chain.

Ranma winced as a trickle of blood began to drip down his neck, but he didn't have time to worry about that. The male Amazon had closed within striking range and stepped in to begin his assault. Reaching his arms back, a large blade swung out from each of his sleeves and stuck out like giant claws. Ranma had no choice but to duck as Mousse brought the blades together in front of himself with the intention of cleaving his opponent's head right off of his shoulders.

"Feel my years of anger and frustration, Ranma Saotome!!" Mousse yelled out, bringing one of his arms up from the ground and barely missing Ranma's chin with the blade.

Performing a dance of death, Mousse swung his blades at Ranma relentlessly while moving in a fluid motion that allowed for maximum control of he and his weapons. This was nothing new for Ranma though. Mousse had used this type of attack in one of their earlier battles, and he knew how to deal with it.

Finally mounting a counterattack, Ranma used his Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken to strike Mousse's blades with his one arm every time Mousse swung at him. Stopping the robed warrior was difficult when he was attacking like this, but breaking his blades would leave him vulnerable long enough to mount an offensive.

"It's just like their other fight," Akane said as she watched the ongoing battle with great interest. "Ranma kept shattering those blades of his until he ran out."

"And Mousse remembered that," Jynn replied, drawing Akane's attention. "It won't happen this time. He upgraded nearly all of his weapons during our journey."

Everyone quickly began to see that Jynn was right. Ranma was getting a number of solid strikes in on Mousse's blades, but they simply wouldn't break.

"Mousse wasn't just searching for Ranma while we were gone. That whole time, he was getting himself ready for this decisive match," Jynn added. "If you underestimate him because of his poor eyesight or his awkward actions, he'll send you to an early grave before you know what hit you. Mousse is an incredibly fierce warrior when he's motivated."

Ranma was beginning to accept the fact that Mousse's blades weren't going to shatter, and that wasn't his only problem. He was finding it more and more difficult to get strikes in because of how Mousse was attacking him. The Amazon was pivoting to Ranma's side constantly, never allowing him to defend or counter without having to turn around.

"Not bad. He keeps attacking from Ranma's right side to take advantage of his handicap," Soun observed.

Cologne nodded in agreement. "Mousse is more than willing to exploit any weakness he can find in the son-in-law. Honor means nothing to him in this battle."

"It's fine. My boy can figure a way out of this," Genma replied, sounding more hopeful than sure of himself.

The pigtailed boy in question was beginning to lose his patience with Mousse's assault. Tired of trying to get punches through the swift blades, he brought his hand to his side and devoted himself fully to dodging the attacks. Mousse made no adjustments, continuing to pivot and push Ranma back with his blades.

"Why...why won't he attack?" Ringo asked, a great deal of worry in her voice.

"You see how hard he's concentrating? He's planning something," Akane said to her. Even she wondered what exactly it was though. Was he just waiting for an opening to attack?

After several more seconds of action, Mousse very suddenly jerked back and leaped a fair distance away from Ranma. Grabbing the fresh wound on his neck, Ranma looked over at Mousse with an excited expression across his face.

"You were goading me into the Hiryu Shoten Ha..." Mousse said venomously.

"He noticed after all," Cologne said, somewhat impressed by Mousse's improvement.

Shampoo had her hands clasped tightly to her chest as she stared at her pigtailed friend with concern. "Ranma..."

Standing himself up straight, Ranma wiped his blood-covered hand against his pants and began to stretch out his legs while smiling over at Mousse. "Not bad. You woulda walked right into that before."

Not at all flattered by the compliment, Mousse retracted his blades back into his sleeves while glaring back at Ranma. "I've been preparing for this moment for a long time, Saotome. I fixed all the weaknesses I used to have...and I'm going to defeat you. If you want Shampoo then you'll have to give it everything you've got, Ranm-!"

Everyone gasped when Ranma appeared next to Mousse out of nowhere and kicked him in the face, sending him flying into a concrete wall. Mousse let out a cry of pain as he slumped to the ground, surrounded by pieces of the wall he'd just crashed into.

When the spectators shifted their attention back to Ranma, they were surprised to see him collapse to one knee and begin to breathe heavily. Most of them weren't even remotely aware of what they'd just seen, but the Amazon crew knew all too well.

"He used it..." Jynn said, his voice laced with curiosity. "So he really did learn Li's technique. He must have put a base point on Mousse during the initial exchange, but why use that now? Is he really that reckless?"

Faintly recognizing what Ranma had done from somewhere before, Akane glanced over at the Amazon elder next to her. "Elder Cologne, that was the Shift that Ranma did, wasn't it?"

"He never told you?" Cologne asked curiously. "That is correct. I still am not clear on how he learned it though."

Trying to shake off the exhaustion after using his Shift technique, Ranma suddenly noticed a small white bag sitting next to his feet. Blinking several times as he tried to figure out where it came from, he frantically shot to his feet and tried to get away.

"OH CRAP!"

Ringo shrieked when the small bag exploded and sent Ranma flying through the air and to the ground. The impact knocking her into Genma, Ringo was horrified as she watched Ranma rolling around in the snow to put out the fire on his clothes. "Ranma, are you okay?!"

"What...what the heck did I just see?" Ukyou asked, she, much like many of the others, feeling incredibly confused at the moment.

Impressed with the level of technique he was seeing, Soun wondered if his old friend had seen what he saw. "Did you catch it, Saotome?"

"Sure did, Tendo. Mousse planted that bomb next to Ranma the instant he got kicked," Genma replied. "That's something considering he didn't even see Ranma coming. His reflexes are amazing."

Once the fire on his clothes was extinguished, Ranma was still gasping for air when he rolled into a sitting position and snarled angrily at his opponent. "You...you jerk..."

A weary Mousse pushed himself up along the wall with his legs until he was standing up once again. Jynn had told him about the Shift technique, and while Jynn wasn't completely sure that Ranma knew it, he had a strong feeling that was the case given how he vanished from the site of his battle with Li last year. But considering the physical toll it took on the user's body, Mousse wasn't expecting Ranma to use it at all, much less at this point in the battle. He had a large crack in his glasses and a trickle of blood coming from above his left eye from the force of the kick, but Mousse was still plenty willing to fight.

"You know what to expect now, Ranma?" Mousse asked, dragging himself away from the wall. "I'm giving you everything I've got!"

Still dizzy from the use of his Shift, Ranma slowly got to his feet and stood up. This wasn't the same Mousse that attacked with training potties, he realized. Mousse had become much more practical and alert since they last fought. Whether that was Jynn's influence or just his increased desire for Shampoo's hand in marriage, he needed to treat Mousse as if he were as much of a threat as Ryouga at the very least.

"You think you can beat me?!" Ranma shouted, eager to engage Mousse once more. "Bring it on, man!"

For a brief moment, Mousse closed his eyes to refocus himself. Reminding himself of how Ranma had stopped Shampoo's wedding, the Amazon warrior was filled with rage once again. Why, he thought to himself? Why did it have to be Ranma? After all this time, it should have been...

Glaring at Ranma with a raging fury, Mousse shook off the impact of the kick he'd taken and soared toward the pigtailed boy.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME, RANMA!!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 19**


	20. Losing Control

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Not slowing down for a second, Mousse whirled several dozen throwing stars and knives from his sleeves while advancing on Ranma. Loving the challenge, the agile pigtailed boy contorted his body to avoid most of the razor sharp projectiles while catching or batting away the ones that he couldn't dodge. Ranma had little time to adjust once the storm of metal had been dealt with though, as Mousse had gotten within reach of him again.

Everyone looked on as five long swords suddenly extended from Mousse's right sleeve. Raising his arm into the air, he swiftly swung the quintet of blades down at Ranma with amazing force.

Feeling the adrenaline coursing through his body, Ranma spun around and kicked Mousse's right wrist, jolting the swords loose from his grip. As the blades fell to the ground, Ranma then slugged Mousse in the face with his left fist, knocking him back for a moment. Ranma turned around to deliver another kick to his off-balance adversary, but Mousse quickly snatched up one of the swords from the ground in his right hand and swung it forward, grazing Ranma's red shirt before he could hop back out of the way. As Mousse spun around, he picked up another of the swords in his left hand and sped forward to continue his offensive.

"RANMAAA!"

While the two continued to exchange blows, Ukyou stood perplexed at the edge of the lot with the other bystanders. No matter how much she tried to analyze Mousse's motives, she simply couldn't figure out a reason for them.

"I really don't get this," the okonomiyaki chef complained. "Why would Mousse say this is the last time he'll fight Ranma-honey?"

"Because he needs that sense of urgency to beat the son-in-law," Cologne explained to her. "Under normal circumstances, Ranma is superior in terms of both skill and speed. But as the son-in-law said, this is Mousse's greatest chance because of Ranma's broken arm. If Mousse cannot defeat Ranma now then how will he defeat him when he once again has both arms at his disposal? Treating this as if it were his final chance bolsters Mousse's spirit that much more, giving him the highest odds of victory."

"It's not just that," Jynn added, drawing a glance from both Ukyou and Akane. "Because Ranma stopped Shampoo's marriage, Mousse is feeling insignificant. I'm sure he feels that if he can't defeat Ranma under these ideal conditions then he isn't deserving of Shampoo anyway."

The Amazon with the scar across his face looked on as his old friend struggled to catch Ranma with his sword strikes. The fact that Ranma still had so much energy after using Li's Shift technique was completely unnatural, he thought to himself. Maybe it was just due to his vast amount of stamina, but it could also have something to do with the reason Elder Cologne was so concerned at the moment. If Mousse let this battle go on for too long, there was no telling what might happen.

In one swift move, one of Mousse's swords flew into the air, having been dislodged from his grip by a nimble kick from the pigtailed martial artist. Mousse swung his other sword down diagonally, but Ranma was just too quick, kicking Mousse in the face with his right foot before the sword could even reach him. Trying to shake off the impact, Mousse had barely raised his sword above his waist before Ranma kicked him in the face again, this time with his left foot. With his opponent now feeling dazed, Ranma knocked Mousse's other sword to the ground and began kicking him relentlessly all over his body.

Shampoo couldn't help feeling a hint of pity deep in her heart as she watched Mousse cringe after a painful kick to his ribs. Even with one arm, Ranma's speed was beginning to overwhelm the persistent Amazon.

A chain of three more kicks to Mousse's ribs knocked the wind out of him. Several more to his legs dropped him to his knees. A following foot to his chin then nearly knocked him out cold.

With Ranma's right foot flying toward his temple to strike again, Mousse desperately grabbed a small marble out from inside the sleeve of his robe, closed his eyes, and held it out in front of his face. Not thinking for a moment about stopping, Ranma slammed his foot into the tiny sphere, causing it to explode into a blinding flash of light.

"Aagh! You little-!" Ranma growled, struggling to open his eyes after the brilliant flash.

"What...what was that...?" Ringo asked, she, much like everyone else, rubbing her sore eyes.

"A flash bomb," Jynn replied. "It temporarily blinded Ranma, but Mousse needs to hurry up and do something or it's going to be meaningless."

Struggling to get to his feet after the rough assault he'd taken, Mousse slid a long spear out of his sleeve and used it to prop himself up. He knew he needed to move, and he needed to move right now. He wasn't going to get many more chances like this.

Finally able to move forward, Mousse let adrenaline take over and sped toward his still blinded opponent. Then, reaching back with all his might, he lunged his spear directly toward Ranma's chest.

At the edge of the lot, Shampoo and Akane both shouted out at the same time to warn Ranma.

"Ranma, move!"

"Look out, Ranma!"

Much to Mousse's dismay, the pigtailed boy moved to the side and caught the spear under his good arm. With his eyes cracked open just slightly, Ranma hopped into the air and sent Mousse flying with a forceful dropkick to the chest. The master of hidden weaponry slammed to the ground with a thud on the opposite side of the lot, his face being buried in the snow upon impact.

"Well, that should just about do it, Tendo," Genma said to his friend, firmly believing that the outcome had already been decided.

Soun nodded in agreement. "Mousse is talented, but he simply can't keep up with Ranma."

"Sh...shut up!"

To the surprise of many, Mousse slammed his palms against the ground and slowly began to push himself back up.

"I'm so tired...of hearing people...praise this guy...!" Mousse shouted angrily.

Still rubbing his eyes, Ranma spat on the ground before turning back toward his fallen adversary. "Ain't you had enough yet?"

"NEVER!" Mousse yelled, his voice booming through the air. "You'll have to beat me until I can't move anymore!"

Seemingly gaining his second wind, Mousse shot up to his feet and tore off his robe. Numerous small weapons fell to the ground, including chains, small knives, and some objects that none of the bystanders could discern. As Mousse turned around, the blades he'd used at the beginning of the fight still attached to his wrists and resting on his forearms in their retracted state, Ranma and the others blinked curiously at one particularly large object on the ground behind him.

Narrowing her eyes, Ukyou felt incredibly confused at what she was seeing. "Is that..."

"...a disco ball?" Akane finished, staring in bewilderment at the glimmering sphere of metal sitting in the snow. It was as tall as Mousse's pectorals and had a black chain sticking out from the top of it, the other end of which was tightly gripped in his hand.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Ranma said in disgust. "That's your last card? A disco ball? I never shoulda taken ya seriously to begin with. And where the heck were ya hidin' that thing, anyway?!"

With a confident grin crossing his face, Mousse muscled the large disco ball into the air and slowly began twirling it around his body. "Looks can be deceiving, Ranma..."

Despite how ridiculous Mousse's weapon appeared, Ranma was serious about putting an end to this fight. The chain, he noticed, was reasonably short, keeping the radius of the swinging disco ball to Mousse at only a meter or so. All he would have to do was get in close, deal with the ball, and the rest would be easy.

The pigtailed martial artist wasted no time speeding toward Mousse to put him out of his misery. If he timed it right, he wouldn't even need to deal with the disco ball, he thought to himself. One kick to Mousse's face was all it would take to gain the advantage.

Once Ranma got within range, however, Mousse leaped into the air and swung the large metal sphere down at him. "Eat this!"

"Like that thing would hurt me!" Ranma snarled, reaching back with his good arm and slamming his fist into the ball.

To everyone's surprise, the disco ball exploded upon impact, kicking up a cloud of snow and sending a dozen throwing stars flying out from within.

Ranma cried out in pain as two of the stars embedded themselves into his right shoulder and left thigh respectively. Despite the pain from the stars and the reduced visibility due to the snow cloud, the stunned Saotome still managed to see Mousse coming down from above.

The determined Amazon swung the blades from his forearms outward and readied to cut his ailing rival down. This was it, he thought. He'd finally gotten him.

"Die, Ranma!"

Ranma stood motionless in the snowy lot, waiting for just the right moment to attempt a counter. But before that moment came, he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention.

Everyone watching the battle on the edge of the lot began to move when one of the throwing stars from Mousse's disco ball came flying toward them. Luckily, the one in the direct path of the star was none other than Shampoo. Unlike Ranma, she was fully healed from her battle in China, and catching a mere throwing star was as easy as breathing to her.

Shampoo instinctively reached her hand out to catch the star, not even concerned about it as she kept her eyes on the battle. But then, out of nowhere, a red blur shot in front of her and snagged the star from the air. Unable to stop from the momentum, it slammed into Genma and knocked him clear across the road and through a retaining wall.

Incredibly surprised and startled by what had just happened, everyone spun around only to see Ranma with his hands on his knees, hunched over and breathing heavily as he stood in the spot where his father had just been standing.

"Ran...ma..." Shampoo mouthed, almost speechless at what had just happened.

"R-Ranma-honey?" Ukyou asked, wondering what exactly she'd just witnessed.

His shock wearing off, it finally struck Soun that his friend had just been sent flying by his own son. Concerned for his well-being, Soun immediately ran over to check on Genma. "Saotome! Are you okay?!"

The others watched as Ranma's breathing normalized again, and, very slowly, he stood up straight. The instant he'd seen the throwing star heading for Shampoo, the images of her being struck with Li's energy crescent last year flooded back into his mind. All the pain and torment he felt because of that...he remembered it. In that instant, he completely forgot about Mousse and moved to stop the throwing star from reaching his lavender-haired friend.

"You..." Ranma hissed venomously, directing his anger toward Mousse.

Nearby, Cologne's concern was growing very quickly. Ranma had moved almost instantaneously to catch that star, but it wasn't the Shift he used. Warping from one point to another wouldn't allow for such extreme momentum that it would knock a grown man clear across a road. Ranma's movement was pure speed, and it was something that no human should possess. There was clearly something unnatural going on with his body, she thought.

Mousse, who was still standing in the middle of the lot, was under the impression that Ranma had actually used the Shift to avoid his attack. "Running away, Ranma?!"

As Ranma turned around and dropped the throwing star on the ground, everyone gasped in shock of what they saw. His fingernails had grown out to become claws. His eyes had a yellow glow and a feral look to them. And as Ranma's anger began to grow, a violet aura that was familiar to both Cologne and Shampoo began swirling around his body and the two throwing stars in his shoulder and thigh slid out and fell to the ground.

The quivering Ringo was too frightened at the sight of Ranma to say anything. She'd never seen him like this before. It was as if the person she was looking at wasn't even Ranma. That look in his eyes that was always so kind had been replaced by one of a bloodthirsty beast.

"You..." Ranma snarled, "watch what you're doing!!"

Mousse had no time to react as his rival soared toward him at blinding speed and grabbed hold of him by the neck with his left hand. Unable to contain his rage, Ranma slammed Mousse into the wall surrounding the vacant lot and continued to squeeze his neck as a black fur began to grow on his hand and quickly spread to his forearm.

"You coulda killed her, you idiot! What were you thinking?! Huh?!" Ranma screamed at the Amazon warrior.

The lack of oxygen beginning to affect him, Mousse was afraid he was about to lose consciousness. Try as he might to pry Ranma's hand from his neck, the pigtailed boy's grip was far too strong. He tried frantically to raise his arm and attack him with his wrist blades, but he simply didn't have the strength anymore.

"Now, Jynn!"

The raging Ranma suddenly found himself confined as a number of chains wrapped around him from behind. As he turned around and looked back, he saw that it was Jynn holding tightly onto the metal bindings.

"Stay outta this!" Ranma hissed at him. "You wanna fight too?! Huh?!"

Dropping swiftly down from the sky, Cologne positioned her necklace of jade stones over Ranma's head and successfully placed them around his neck as she landed next to Mousse's battered body.

Akane, Ukyou, Ringo, and Shampoo began to feel disturbed as they watched Ranma start to writhe in agony. The stones beginning to have some effect on him, Ranma let out a bloodcurdling howl that echoed throughout the Winter air.

"Ranma!" Akane screamed as she began to run toward him.

"No! Stay back!" Cologne demanded, stopping Akane in her tracks.

Keeping a close eye on her son-in-law, Cologne felt relieved when the fur on Ranma's forearm began to fall to the ground. Finally beginning to calm down as the violet aura swirling around him dissipated, Ranma raised his head and looked over at Cologne in confusion. As the Amazon elder soon noticed, Ranma's eyes had also returned to normal.

"Old...hag...?" Ranma asked, still trying to catch his breath. "What...what did I...?"

"Calm down, son-in-law. It's all over," Cologne assured him.

"Ranma!" all four girls watching shouted in unison. They wasted no time running over to make sure he was okay.

Cologne let out a deep sigh of relief as she turned toward Jynn. "Thank you for your help."

"Your plan worked perfectly," Jynn said, sounding impressed with the old woman. "I was really surprised, to tell you the truth. I didn't think Ranma would be that dangerous."

"It was something that needed to be taken care of," Cologne replied. As she walked over to check on Mousse, she was relieved to see that he was still alive, albeit not responsive.

"Mousse is okay, Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked, a concerned look on her face.

The Amazon elder nodded in response. "He'll be fine. He's just unconscious is all."

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" Ukyou suddenly yelled, eying Cologne sharply. "Will someone please tell me what just happened to Ran-chan?!"

"That's right!" Akane chimed in. "It's like you're keeping us in the dark about something!"

"You mean he never told you about Yanlou?" Cologne asked them curiously.

After looking back and forth at each other in confusion, Akane and Ukyou both turned their gaze to the pigtailed boy sitting on the ground.

"Ranma no want to worry everyone, so..." Shampoo began to say.

"It's alright," Ranma interrupted, looking over at Cologne. "Go ahead and tell 'em. No point hidin' it now."

"As you wish," Cologne replied, clearing her throat before continuing. "What did he tell you girls?"

Akane took a moment to recall the story that Ranma had told them the day he and Shampoo returned. "Well, he said a scythe possessed him, but that Ryouga broke it..."

"And he was fine after that, right?" Ukyou asked, sounding unsure of herself.

"That scythe was called Yanlou, and it was filled with the vengeful spirits of people killed by a ruthless sorceress thousands of years ago," the old woman explained to them. "When Ryouga destroyed Yanlou, those spirits were freed and possessed Ranma's body, and in the process they apparently merged with the personality of the cat that was residing in his mind."

Ringo cupped her hands over her mouth, absolutely shocked that she didn't know about this. "Ranma, why didn't you tell us?!"

Ranma didn't answer his former female half, keeping quiet as Cologne went on her explanation.

"When he came to stop Shampoo's wedding, he called upon those spirits to fight for him and they manifested themselves as a very large feline," Cologne continued. "After Shampoo's groom had been defeated, however, Ranma could not control the beast. I managed to stop it with a seal that day, but it was merely a temporary solution. After I got back to the village, I began researching a better method to keep the spirits at bay and ended up creating this necklace for that purpose."

The girls all looked over the necklace, which had white symbols painted on each of a number of jade stones.

"So...everything is okay now?" Akane asked, an extremely concerned expression on her face.

"For now, yes," Cologne replied. "I am still worried about this though. Today they emerged without being called upon and used Ranma as a vessel rather than manifesting themselves as a separate entity. All of that power condensed into Ranma's body resulted in dangerous, explosive speed and strength that was completely out of control. Should that have continued, Ranma's body would only be able to withstand it for so long."

Trying to digest Cologne's analysis, Ranma ran his hand through his hair and looked dead serious as he stared into her wise eyes. "You mean I'd die..."

The Amazon elder nodded in reply, a reaction that didn't exactly help the concerns of the other girls.

"So...what do I gotta do to keep 'em from comin' out again?" the pigtailed boy asked her.

"You must keep that necklace on at all times," Cologne told him. "That should keep them sealed for the immediate future. It could be a problem if they continue to evolve though, which is why I will be looking into a permanent solution once I return to China."

A sudden groan made everyone turn their attention to Mousse, who had finally regained consciousness. "What...happened?"

"You lost," Jynn told him, not softening his words at all for his friend.

"I...lost?" Mousse asked, not believing it at first. Once he remembered being mercilessly choked by Ranma, however, he realized it was the truth. Leaning his head back and looking up at the sky, he could only laugh at himself as he tried to keep from sobbing. "I...lost..."

Cologne had her problems with Mousse, but even she admired his tenacity during the battle. "It was an impressive performance, Mousse. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Shutting his eyes to keep his tears back, Mousse raised his hand up slightly and motioned for Ranma to come close to him. Figuring he'd go along with it this once, Ranma walked over and knelt down next to the Amazon warrior.

"Ranma," Mousse whispered in his ear, "I'll keep my promise, so be good Shampoo. If you don't, I'll make you pay."

"There ya go with that stuff again," Ranma said in annoyance as he stood up and walked off. "I'll do whatever I want, got it?"

Mousse couldn't help but sigh at the reaction. If he had to lose, he wished it would've been to someone that openly expressed love for Shampoo, he thought. Things weren't always so perfect though.

Suddenly feeling a pair of hands on his cheeks, Mousse's eyes widened with surprise when Shampoo leaned in close to him and kissed him on the forehead. His cheeks quickly turning red, he had no idea how to react to the act of kindness. "Sh-Shampoo..."

"Mousse, thank you for feelings," Shampoo said with a kind smile. "We still be friends, yes?"

A tear finally escaping one of his eyes and flowing down his cheek, Mousse tried to contain himself as he lay back against the wall. "Always..."

While Jynn tended to the beaten Mousse, Shampoo pulled Cologne aside to speak with her in private. "Great-Grandmother go back to China now?"

"It seems everything is going smoothly here, so I don't want to get in the way," Cologne replied, looking very satisfied with how things had turned out. "Is the restaurant doing well?"

"Is no problem," the lavender-haired Amazon replied happily with a nod.

"I figured it wouldn't be," Cologne laughed. "And don't worry, we'll be taking Mousse back with us. I believe he'll need some time to himself after all of this."

Just then remembering something he'd almost forgotten, Jynn quickly stood himself up and walked over to Ranma.

"I thought you'd like to know, I got a message from Meilin the other day," Li's former associate said to him.

Ranma blinked several times before it finally hit him that he'd forgotten something too. "Oh yeah, Ryouga! I totally forgot about those two. Shouldn't they be in Japan by now?"

"Normally, yes, but there was a bit of an incident," Jynn replied. "Ryouga and Meilin were arrested by Chinese government officials."

Ranma, Ringo, Akane, and Ukyou all looked shocked as they overheard the news.

"W-what?! Why Ryouga?" Ranma asked with surprise.

"Because they considered him an accomplice," Jynn told him, brushing his long, black hair out of his face. "That wasn't all I wanted to tell you though. Meilin sent me a message saying that they'd been arrested, but that they'd cut a deal of some sort with the government. It seems they'll be doing a little work for them."

"Work?" Ranma asked curiously. "What kinda work?"

"She didn't say," Jynn replied with a shrug. "In any case, they don't seem to be in any danger. I just wouldn't expect to see them around here for a while."

Ranma scratched his head as he took in the news. "Well, if they're okay then that's fine I guess. It'll get kinda boring without Ryouga droppin' by with challenges though."

"Hey, Ran-chan," Ukyou began to say as she stared at her childhood friend, "I think you mentioned her before, but I forget, who's this Meilin person again?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Ryouga's girlfriend," Ranma said with a smirk.

"G-girlfriend?!" Akane, Ukyou, and Ringo all said in unison.

The pigtailed boy seemed confused at the surprised reaction. "Yeah, didn't I tell you guys?"

"No, you did not!" the okonomiyaki chef snapped back at him. "That guy seriously got a girlfriend?!"

"Umm...isn't that the same girl that hurt Shampoo?" Ringo asked curiously.

"Yup," Ranma replied. "Don't ask how it happened, 'cause I dunno either. They were all over each other though."

"No way!" Ukyou shouted, grinning wildly at the news. "What's she like?! What's she like?!"

Akane was also interested in the gossip that Ukyou was trying to pump out of Ranma, but she was more focused at the moment on what had just transpired. The frightening state that Ranma went into had been explained to her, but seeing how fiercely he'd acted to protect Shampoo made her feel strange, and it wasn't a good feeling. She couldn't imagine Ranma willingly being anything more than friends with Shampoo, but just in case, Akane started to think, maybe it wouldn't hurt to figure out how Ranma felt about the arranged marriage that her dad and Mr. Saotome had set up between them. It was something they were going to have to deal with at some point, Akane figured. Maybe the best time would be once Ranma's hectic study schedule was over.

With her job complete for the time being, Cologne immediately went back to China with Jynn and Mousse.

Ranma and the others, meanwhile, returned to life as usual. Although he had a new necklace that he didn't have much choice about wearing, Ranma's life remained the same in that he was still constantly studying and being tutored to try and pass his courses while paying the occasional visit to Shampoo and Ringo at the restaurant or sparring with his father whenever he needed a mental break.

The next month passed in what felt to everyone like the blink of an eye, and finally, in late March, the last day of the school year came.

* * *

In the quiet hallway outside of Furinkan High's faculty lounge, Akane and Ukyou were both waiting anxiously for Ranma to emerge with the results of his English exam earlier in the day. Having already learned that he'd passed his other courses for the year, Ranma was hoping that he'd done well enough on his final exam to get a passing grade in English as well. While it wasn't one of his stronger subjects, all of the help he'd gotten from both Akane and Ukyou left him feeling confident entering the day. Now all that was left was waiting for the teacher to grade his exam.

Hearing a tapping sound as she leaned against the wall, Akane peered over to see Ukyou nervously pacing around next to her.

"Does Nakamura usually take this long to grade things?" Ukyou asked impatiently.

"I wouldn't know. I've never been so worried about passing before that I had to wait outside the teachers' office for my results," Akane boasted.

"Well aren't you special?" Ukyou replied sarcastically, sneering over at her classmate.

Akane shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "If keeping up with your studies makes you special, then I suppose so."

Ever since Ranma's return, the competitive aspect of the relationship between Akane and Ukyou had slowly returned to normal. Although their arguments had never led to any physical fighting, both of them had been taking verbal jabs at each other on an increasing basis. Neither of them really minded, though. With both of them wanting to win Ranma over, it was almost necessary to have a bit of hostility toward each other.

When they heard the sound of a door sliding open, the two girls turned to see Ranma walking out of the lounge with his head hung low.

"Well?" Ukyou asked as her pigtailed fiancée slid the door shut behind him.

Crouching down to the ground, Ranma sprung himself upward and tossed his non-broken arm into the air in pure elation. "I did it! I did it! I did it! I am SO good!"

"That's great!" Akane said excitedly.

"Yay, Ranma-honey!" Ukyou cheered.

The girls couldn't help smiling after seeing the ecstatic look on Ranma's face. Even for Akane, this was one time when she couldn't knock him. He'd really studied his butt off ever since he got back from China, she thought.

"We're happy for you and all, but aren't you forgetting a little something?" Akane asked, eying him closely.

It took a moment for Ranma to realize what she meant, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out. Defiant as ever, the pigtailed boy folded his arms and looked away from the girls. "Th-...thanks for helpin' me study. I owe ya, alright? That what ya wanted?"

"That'll do," Akane smiled.

"Still, you know, I sort of wanted to hear Ran-chan call us his upperclassmen," Ukyou giggled.

"Yeah, well it ain't ever gonna happen, so get over it!" Ranma quickly retorted, singing to himself as he began skipping giddily down the stairs. "I ain't gonna get held back! I ain't gonna get held back!"

Ukyou and Akane quickly followed Ranma down the staircase, the latter starting to feel embarrassed about his eccentric celebrating.

"Honestly, couldn't you wait until we get outside to go crazy?" Akane chided him.

"Why? There ain't no one to bother here, they all went home. Last day of school, right?" Ranma asked.

"I realize that, but still..." the youngest Tendo daughter grumbled.

The three of them descended the stairs until they reached the bottom floor and then proceeded to make their way out the school's doors and to sweet freedom. Much to everyone's delight, the air had warmed considerably over the past month and it was already feeling a lot like Spring in the Nerima Ward.

Once the group got outside they were more than willing to leave the school behind for a good while, but they came to a sudden stop as they saw none other than Nabiki Tendo and Tatewaki Kuno looking around at the building.

"Nabiki?" Akane asked. After her sister and Kuno had graduated from the school two days ago, she never thought she'd see them here again.

"Hey there, Akane," Nabiki greeted her. "How did our dear freeloader's exam go?"

Ranma immediately held up his hand and gave her a thumbs up sign. "Passed!"

"Ooh, bravo," Nabiki said, clapping her hands a few times to congratulate him.

"What are you two doing here?" Ukyou asked them.

"Just reminiscing a bit before we move on with our lives," Nabiki said as she flicked her hair back.

Kuno nodded in agreement. "I cannot help but think of all the blood and sweat that was shed in the kendo hall, nor the number of tears shed by young women who never had the chance to be loved by Tatewaki Kuno."

Akane grimaced at the elder Kuno sibling's remarks. "Yeah, I feel so sorry for them..."

Ranma's eyes widened as Kuno swung his wooden sword at him out of nowhere. Reaching up quickly, he caught the sword in his hand and tried to keep the kendo warrior at bay.

"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno shouted at his nemesis.

"What?!" Ranma snarled back at him.

"It is regretful, but I fear our battles must come to an end," Kuno said, despite continuing to muscle his wooden sword toward Ranma. "You see, my current venture with Nabiki Tendo will be keeping me away quite often, and I simply do not have time to bother with you any longer."

Ukyou and Akane glanced at each other in confusion before turning to look at Nabiki.

"Venture?" both girls asked.

"That's right," Nabiki said with a grin. "Kuno-baby and I are going into business together. Not that I really needed him, but since he so generously provided the startup money, I agreed to let him on as an equal partner. Plus, despite how dumb he may seem, he's actually not bad when it comes to business sense."

Irate at the insult, Kuno tore his attention away from Ranma for a moment and glared at his new business partner. "How dare you insinuate that I am dumb?! I shall have you know that my marks were near the top of our graduating class!"

Ranma blinked several times before turning to Nabiki for clarification. "Is he serious?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Nabiki replied, more than understanding about Ranma's disbelief. "In any case, we'll be leaving for Osaka next week to start spreading our names around. I'm sure you won't mind me taking this guy off your hands."

His focus now back on his original target, Tatewaki Kuno again brought his sword down at Ranma, forcing the pigtailed boy to catch it with his good hand once more. "Listen to my words closely, Ranma Saotome! Though I may be away, I shall not permit you to lay your hands on Akane Tendo! Should I hear any word of you sullying her, you shall feel the fullest extent of my wrath! Is that understood?!"

"Yeah, you go ahead and try it, moron!" Ranma said defiantly.

"Would you get over it already?! I don't like you!" Akane snapped at her upperclassman.

Seemingly ignoring Akane's dislike for him, Kuno calmly retracted his sword and placed it over his shoulder as he looked down at Ranma. "Well then, this is farewell, Ranma. I may have bested you, but I always considered you a worthy foe."

"W-what?!" Ranma shouted, staggered by the sheer stupidity of Kuno's statement. "You bested me?! Are you outta your-?!"

"Farewell, Furinkan! You shall never be forgotten! And rest assured, Akane Tendo, I shall be returning in due time so that we may date with each other," Tatewaki interrupted, turning and walking away before Ranma could question him. "Let us be going, Nabiki Tendo."

"Coming, Kuno-baby!" Nabiki called out to him before turning to the others. "We'll be going then. Enjoy your break, you guys."

Next to them, Ranma was still fuming over Kuno's words. "He thinks he got the best of me! Do you believe that?! How in the heck could he-?!"

"Oh just let it go already," Akane interjected, cutting him off. "He's leaving. Isn't that all that matters?"

Ukyou felt genuinely disappointed as she watched Tatewaki Kuno walk off. "That's kinda sad. I'm going to miss watching him hit on Akane every day."

"Thanks a lot," Akane growled at her.

Nabiki was about to follow Kuno away when she realized she'd forgotten something important. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! Something interesting happened this afternoon."

"Somethin' interesting?" Ranma asked, he and the girls all curious about what it could be.

Clearing her throat, Nabiki winked as she placed a finger against her lips. "Believe it or not, Dr. Tofu finally popped the question to Kasumi."

"What?!" Akane shouted in both disbelief and excitement. "Did she give him an answer?!"

Nabiki nodded happily. "She said yes. They're planning on getting married this summer."

"Oh wow! I can't believe it!" Akane said in astonishment.

"Kasumi's getting married? Wow..." Ukyou said, sounding surprised.

"Heh, I knew Doc had it in him. Good for him," Ranma smiled. "I'll have to congratulate the guy next time I see him."

"Sure took him long enough, didn't it?" Nabiki giggled. "Okay, now I'm really going. See ya."

As Nabiki jogged off, Akane's eyes were still sparkling with joy. She'd always imagined Kasumi wearing a wedding dress, and now she was going to get to see it at last. It was like a dream come true for her.

"Come on, let's get going! I have so much to talk to Kasumi about!" Akane said impatiently.

"Okay, okay. Chill," the pigtailed boy replied, not feeling nearly the need for haste that Akane felt.

It was then that Ukyou suddenly realized just how much time she'd spent waiting for Ranma and talking with Nabiki. "Shoot, I need to hurry up and get the restaurant ready! I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, sure thing, Ucchan," Ranma replied.

While Ukyou hurried away, she turned and smiled happily at her pigtailed friend. "Hey, stop by sometime and I'll treat you to an okonomiyaki on the house! My treat to celebrate passing everything!"

Energized by the very thought of food, and free food at that, Ranma beamed as he nodded at her affirmingly. "Deal!"

Once Ukyou had left, Akane began tugging at Ranma's arm like an energetic child. "Come on, come on!"

"Alright, we're goin' already. Sheesh," her fiancée grumbled.

With the news of Kasumi's forthcoming marriage, Ranma and Akane found themselves running back toward the Tendo household to congratulate her. Along the way, however, Akane began to notice that Ranma looked unusually disappointed.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinkin' about somethin'," Ranma replied, still looking as if he were deep in thought.

"Like what?" Akane asked curiously.

The pigtailed boy began scratching the back of his head as he ran. "Well, the old freak's gone, Ryouga's not comin' back for a while, Mousse ain't comin' back, and now Kuno goes and says he's done fightin' with me. So who the heck am I supposed to fight?"

Akane placed a finger against her cheek as she considered the current situation. "You know, you're right. Everyone really is gone now."

"I know, right?" Ranma replied, not sounding too pleased.

"You'll just have to fight me I guess," Akane joked with him.

"Yeah, that ain't happenin'," Ranma replied, dismissing the suggestion immediately. "I need a challenge."

"Hey!"

"What? I'm just sayin'..."

Despite the insult about her fighting ability, Akane was still in too good of a mood to let it get the best of her. "You shouldn't look down on me, you know. I'm going to beat you one of these days."

"Pff, yeah, and pigs are gonna grow wings and start to fly too," Ranma scoffed, prompting Akane to stick her tongue out at him.

Once they'd gotten closer to home, the thought of Kasumi's marriage reminded Akane of her own arranged marriage. It was something she'd been planning on talking to Ranma about, but there was never time with all of the studying lately. Now that the school year had finished, however, it seemed like the perfect time to bring it up.

"Hey, let's go out tomorrow night to celebrate everything! Just the two of us," Akane proposed.

Perplexed by the offer, Ranma quirked an eyebrow in her direction. "What, you mean like a date?"

"Whatever," Akane smiled. "Well?"

Ranma scratched his chin as he thought about it. "I guess, so long as I don't gotta go shoppin' with ya."

"Oh, I'm not that bad!" Akane snapped back at him. "Maybe just a little window shopping, that's all."

"Alright, alright, I'll go," Ranma finally agreed, more to get Akane to quit bothering him about it than anything else.

This was about as much enthusiasm as Akane would get out of her pigtailed fiancée, she thought. The fact that he'd accepted without much resistance was good though. Now all she had to do was wait for a good moment tomorrow night and bring up the marriage talk with him.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the Cat Café, things were slow as Shampoo and Ringo served the generally small and sporadic late lunch crowd. Ringo was dying to know whether or not all of Ranma's studying had paid off, but her obligations to the restaurant kept her from waiting at school with Akane and Ukyou. That was fine with her, though. She would know how things turned out as soon as she got home anyway, she figured.

Among the sparse customers currently dining at the restaurant, one in particular had caught Ringo's attention from the moment he'd walked in. The man, who had short, spiky black hair and wore a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, had walked sluggishly to a table when he first entered and seemed extremely distant while ordering his food. As Ringo watched him slowly feeding noodles into his mouth, she got the feeling that he was deeply bothered by something. It was almost uncomfortable to watch, but prying into the business of customers was something that Shampoo had always told her to avoid.

After Ringo had presented him with his check and began cleaning other tables that had recently cleared, the man called out to her all of a sudden.

"Miss?"

"Y-yes, coming!" Ringo replied, curious about what the man wanted as she walked over to his table. "Did you need something?"

The customer reached into his pocket and held a small wad of paper bills up to her. "This is for the food, and a bit extra as a tip for you."

"O-oh, thank you very much!" the redheaded waitress smiled, graciously taking the money from him. Most customers simply left their payment on the table and left, but others had been known to present it personally on rare occasions.

"And one more thing..." the man said quietly.

Ringo blinked curiously as she looked down at him. "Yes?"

"Could I speak to the cook for a moment?" he asked.

The man probably wanted to ask Shampoo something about the food, Ringo figured. It was something that other customers had done in the past as well. "Sure, let me go get her..."

After a brief interaction with her waitress, the lavender-haired Amazon walked out from the kitchen and made her way over to the customer's table.

"Nihao! You want talk to Shampoo?" she asked politely.

"Ah, y-yes..." the man stuttered, nodding in reply. "I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the food. That and the peaceful atmosphere here...it really brightened up my day. Thank you."

"You very welcome!" Shampoo happily replied. It was a bit unusual for customers to call her out of the kitchen to compliment her cooking, but it wasn't the first time it had happened. Every time it did though, it made her feel more proud of the success her restaurant was having despite her great-grandmother's absence.

"If you don't mind me asking," the customer continued, "do you have someone you like?"

Shampoo was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable now, thinking initially that the man was hitting on her. "Shampoo have man that like very much. Very sorry, no mean to hurt feelings..."

"Oh, no! It's not like that," the man laughed, rubbing his hand against the back of his head as he felt somewhat embarrassed about the misunderstanding. "Actually, my girlfriend and I just broke up yesterday. I'm not looking for someone else yet, I was just curious."

"Ahh...Shampoo sorry to hear that," she said to him. She almost felt bad about her initial assumption now.

"Do you love him?" the customer suddenly asked.

The Amazon girl began to blush and twiddle her fingers as she thought about Ranma. "Shampoo love Ranma with all heart and soul. He very strong, dependable man, but also have good heart. There no is other man in world that Shampoo want as husband."

The depressed man wasn't expecting such a thorough answer, but he was more than satisfied with the one Shampoo gave him. Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out two tickets and held them up to her. "Ranma, was it? Go ahead and treat him to a good time."

"What this?" Shampoo asked, taking the tickets from the man's hand and reading them carefully. "Extreme Gymnastics Federation present...Cherry Blossom Bash?"

"Oh, it's a pun since the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and the challenger for their championship is named Sakura," the customer laughed. "It's a martial arts rhythmic gymnastics promotion. Their events are always exciting. I was going to take my girlfriend, but...well, you know. If you're free tomorrow night, take your man to see it. You won't regret it."

After taking a moment to further examine the details on the tickets, Shampoo raised her head to question if the man was really giving them to her, but to her surprise he'd already stood up and headed out the door.

"Thank you again for the food," he said one last time before disappearing.

Once the strange customer had left, Ringo hurried over to Shampoo to inquire about the conversation. "What did he want?"

Still a bit confused, Shampoo held up the tickets in front of her. "He say thank you for food and give Shampoo this. Say to take Ranma to see."

"Really?" the redhead asked, eying the tickets closely. "Extreme Gymnastics Federation?"

"You hear of that one?" Shampoo asked her waitress.

"No, never," Ringo replied.

"He say it very fun," the lavender-haired girl added, pondering what she should do with the tickets. "Today Ranma's last day of school, yes?"

Ringo nodded affirmingly.

With her mind made up and an excited look on her face, Shampoo turned and ran toward the door with haste. "Shampoo be right back!"

"H-huh? Okay..." the shy waitress replied as her friend sped out the door.

Once she shut the door behind her and turned the corner, Shampoo let out a gasp as she nearly ran straight into someone. Then, as she skidded to a halt, she realized that the person she almost ran into was someone she was familiar with.

"Aiyaa! Alysse scare Shampoo..." the startled Amazon said, placing her hand over her chest to calm herself down.

The taller woman with long, blonde hair, wearing her usual navy blue jogging suit and carrying the same black gym bag as always, raised her free hand in front of her mouth and giggled at Shampoo's surprised expression. She'd first come to the Cat Café as a customer about a month ago, and despite an awkward greeting from Ringo that day she'd continued to come back every day since. The woman, whose name they'd learned was Alysse, got along well with both Shampoo and Ringo and seemed to genuinely enjoy their company every time she visited the restaurant. The two girls didn't know much about her, but they were happy to have her as a customer.

"You look like you're in a hurry," Alysse laughed.

"Shampoo just run quick errand!" Shampoo replied, turning back to the blonde woman as she rushed away. "Alysse sit wherever want and Ringo get you drink! Shampoo no take long!"

Watching the Chinese girl run off, Alysse chuckled to herself as she opened the door to the restaurant, curious about what had Shampoo so fired up.

"Seems like she's having fun..."

* * *

Over at the Tendo household, a dramatic scene of chaos was unfolding. This was nothing new to the home in general, but the ones at the center of the chaos were hardly the usual suspects.

"Wh-why is this all happening all of a sudden, Saotome?" Soun Tendo wept, clinging to his old friend's leg from his knees.

Genma scratched his head as he watched Nabiki directing two movers who were bringing her bed down the staircase. "Well, they do have to leave the nest sometime, Tendo."

"I understand Kasumi getting married, but why are you leaving me too, Nabiki?!" Soun cried, ignoring Genma's assessment.

The recently graduated Furinkan student was beginning to feel embarrassed at her father's overreacting. "Because I'm eighteen, Daddy. I need to get out on my own. I already found myself a nice apartment, so you don't need to worry about me."

"She's right, Father," Kasumi added, trying her best to console him. "Try to look at things from her point of view."

Ranma and Akane weren't quite sure what to say as they watched Soun crawl over to Nabiki and grab hold of her legs.

"But...but this is so sudden! You could have told me about this earlier!" Soun sobbed.

"You still would have acted like this even if I did," Nabiki told him, folding her arms across her chest. "You have to let go, Daddy. Besides, you'll still have Ranma, Akane, Ringo, and Mr. Saotome here after Kasumi moves out."

Remembering his youngest daughter, Soun crawled over to Akane and began bawling into her skirt. "Akane! Akane, you aren't going to leave me too, are you?!"

"Would you cut it out?!" Akane snapped at her father. "You knew this would happen eventually, Dad. Come on now."

"Ranmaaa-!"

The commotion in the house seemed to stop for a moment when everyone heard a female voice calling out Ranma's name from outside. Turning their heads as the front door swung open, everyone watched Shampoo come barreling into the house before hopping up next to her love interest.

"Nihao, Ranma!" she gleefully greeted him. She couldn't see it from her point of view, but Akane's expression had soured immediately upon seeing the energetic Amazon enter the house.

"Thanks for letting yourself in," Nabiki said sarcastically.

"Oh, hey Shampoo," Ranma replied, somehow not all that shocked by her entrance. "Ain't you supposed to be runnin' the restaurant?"

"This no take long! Shampoo have great...idea..." she began to say, then noticing the movers coming down the staircase and Soun clinging onto an angry looking Akane. "What going on here?"

Ranma had to briefly take one more look at the scene to understand her surprise. "Oh, this. Kasumi's gettin' married to Dr. Tofu and Nabiki's movin' into her own apartment, and Mr. Tendo ain't takin' it too well."

"Aiyaa, Kasumi getting married?!" Shampoo asked, smiling over at the eldest Tendo daughter. "Congratulation!"

Kasumi's cheeks began turning pink as she smiled back at the Amazon girl. "Thank you so much, Shampoo."

Ranma could see the anger on Akane's face and made a mental note to move Shampoo along as quickly as possible. The last thing this house needed right now was an all-out catfight, he thought to himself.

"So, what were you sayin'?" the pigtailed boy asked Shampoo.

"Oh, that right! Ranma remember date you promise Shampoo?" she asked, her face beaming with excitement.

Ranma blinked for a moment before he finally remembered the date he'd promised his lavender-haired friend back when they were in China, the one to celebrate their victory over Li and Meilin. Unfortunately, that was one thing he'd been keeping from everyone else, and he could already feel the fiery glare coming from Akane's direction.

"Uh...yeah, what about it?" Ranma asked her nervously.

Shampoo was lit up with joy as she looked up at him. "We go tomorrow night at five o' clock! Is okay?!"

"T-tomorrow night?" Ranma asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as he felt the increased rage being emitted from the youngest Tendo daughter. He knew fully well that he'd already agreed to go out with Akane that night. "Does it have to be then?"

"Shampoo have ticket for something special, so we only go tomorrow night," she told him.

The young Saotome found himself caught between a rock and a hard place, figuratively speaking. No matter what he did, this wasn't going to end well for him, he thought. Having to make a quick decision, he opted to make the fairest choice possible.

"Tomorrow night it is," he murmured, somehow hoping that nobody else would hear.

"Excuse me?!" Akane shouted, not being able to contain herself any longer.

"Aiyaa, we have so much fun!" Shampoo said, jumping up and giving the pigtailed boy a brief hug before letting him go. "Shampoo go help Ringo now, but no forget! You come get Shampoo at five o' clock! See you!"

"R-right..." Ranma muttered, watching Shampoo bound out the front door as quickly as she'd arrived.

After the passionate Amazon had left, everyone, including the movers, stood still and watched as Akane stormed over to Ranma and stared angrily into his eyes. "In case you'd forgotten, you said you'd go somewhere with me tomorrow night!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ranma apologized profusely, even going so far as bowing to beg for her forgiveness. "Look, I promised her one date back when we were in China to celebrate gettin' outta there alive, so technically I promised her first. I couldn't just tell her no!"

Trying to keep her temper under control, Akane took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest. "And you never told me about this why?"

"Because you'd get angry like you are now!" Ranma retorted. "Look, we'll go out Sunday night instead, I promise! Okay?"

Akane wasn't pleased at all about this development, but she knew getting angry about it wasn't going to help things. Ranma was just keeping a promise he made to Shampoo during some rough times. She would still get her date with him, she thought. It would just have to happen one day later than originally planned.

"Fine," Akane finally replied, reluctantly agreeing to his promise. "If you break that promise, I'll never forgive you."

"Got it," Ranma said, infinitely thankful that he'd resolved the situation peacefully.

Needing to let off some anger, Akane immediately turned around and headed out of the room. "I'm going to the dojo for a while..."

While most everyone began to imagine the suffering Akane was about to deal to some concrete blocks, Nabiki set her sights on the movers that were standing stationary on the stairs.

"Ahem! I'm not paying you boys to stand there. Let's get moving," she commanded them.

As the emptying of Nabiki's room resumed, Ranma managed to sneak outside and took a seat facing the koi pond in the garden.

"Man, you picked the worst time to do that, Shampoo," he grumbled to himself.

Still exhausted from the intense exchange with Akane, the pigtailed martial artist laid back against the ground and let out a sigh as he looked up at the blue sky.

"Jeez, fightin' Li was easier than all this datin' stuff. I wonder what the heck Shampoo's got planned that we can only do tomorrow..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 20**


	21. Date Night: Part I

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

_Additional note for this chapter: Anyone particularly familiar with the Tokyo area may notice some inconsistencies such as things being mentioned that may not have been built in what was technically Ranma's time, a.k.a. the early 1990's, or that may not exist, or maybe travel times from one place to another being unusually short or long. Well, the arena mentioned in this chapter is fictional, obviously, and we'll just consider certain transit lines that weren't built yet to be fictional in this case as well. And I have no way of knowing what the travel time is from one area to another as I've never been there, but we'll just assume it works as is. If anyone does know, feel free to enlighten me. And now, on with the story..._

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Inside the guest room that he and his father stayed in at the Tendo home, Ranma finished snapping the sling for his right arm into place over his long-sleeved, blue Chinese shirt that he liked to wear on occasion. Although the weather had been warming up, it still got chilly at night, hence the long-sleeved attire.

"Man, I can't believe I got myself into this right after I finally got done with all that studyin'," Ranma grumbled to himself. "I hope she's not draggin' me to some chick movie or nothin' like that..."

At a time when the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts would have gladly lazed around the house and taken it easy for a few days, he somehow found himself set up on dates with Shampoo and Akane tonight and tomorrow respectively. A date or two wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but the negative backlash he'd already felt from the girls he wasn't going out with was something Ranma wanted no part of. It actually made him wish someone like Ryouga or Mousse were still around to serve as a distraction.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Ranma noticed that the time was currently a quarter to five in the evening.

"Guess I'll get goin'..."

After shutting the door to his room as he stepped out into the hallway, Ranma put his left hand in his pocket and strode down the staircase toward the door. This wasn't any big deal, he thought. It was just some overdue fun for Shampoo to celebrate still being alive after their nightmare adventure in China. Kodachi, Ukyou, and Akane might not like it much, but that was something that just couldn't be helped.

As Ranma neared the bottom of the staircase, he realized that someone was waiting next to the front door.

Leaning back against the wall with her arms folded across her chest and a glass of water in one hand, Akane Tendo's eyes locked onto the man walking down the stairs.

This was just what he needed, Ranma thought sarcastically. Taking a deep breath as he readied to brave the storm, he calmly walked up to the door and slipped his shoes on.

"I'm leavi-"

"You're really going?" Akane interrupted him.

Ranma looked uncomfortably at his clearly unhappy fiancée. "Yeah?"

Inwardly fuming, Akane averted her eyes from the pigtailed boy. "Do you really trust her?"

"This again?" Ranma asked, sounding annoyed as he placed his palm over his face. "It's just a stupid date, would you relax?"

"Relax?"

Akane reached her occupied hand back, threatening to splash him with the glass of water she was holding.

"H-hey...!" Ranma stammered, raising his good arm to shield himself.

Luckily for him, Akane was able to regain control of her emotions before she invoked his Jusenkyo curse, stopping her hand's momentum without spilling a drop of the water. To say she didn't care for this whole situation would be a gross understatement, but at the same time she realized that making Ranma upset right before he was about to go out on a date with another girl probably wasn't the best move, even if that girl did claim to only be his friend.

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at the youngest Tendo daughter as she slowly let her hand fall to her side.

"Be careful," Akane said quietly.

Not sure what to make of Akane's behavior, Ranma slid the front door open and headed out. "I'll be back later."

Once the door slid shut, Akane leaned back against the wall again and lightly banged her head against it. Was she worrying too much about nothing, she wondered? Ranma even said it was just one stupid date, no different than what he'd be doing with her tomorrow night. And, much as she hated to admit it, Shampoo really hadn't done anything deceitful since she and Ranma had returned from China.

"This is stupid," Akane muttered to herself. "I just need to stay busy and keep my mind off of it."

"He really went, huh?"

Turning around curiously, Akane was surprised to see none other than Ukyou walking down the staircase.

"Where did you come from?" Akane asked.

"Nabiki's old room," Ukyou replied, pointing her thumb up the stairs. "I was waiting to see when he left."

"That's called trespassing, you know..."

"Oh please, you have weird people barging into your house all the time," Ukyou snorted. "Anyway, forget about that. We've gotta get moving before we lose sight of Ran-chan and that bimbo."

Akane looked confused as she peered over at her classmate. "You mean...follow them?"

"Uh, yeah!" Ukyou replied, sounding as if it should have been a foregone conclusion. "Aren't you coming?"

Akane leaned back against the wall and began twiddling her fingers, suddenly feeling torn about what she should do. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on them, she thought, but was there really a need?

"It's not like anything's going to happen," Akane said, turning away and folding her arms again. "No matter what Shampoo wants, Ranma only thinks of her as a friend."

"I know! I know Ran-chan's not interested in her like that," Ukyou explained. "Look, maybe nothing happens. That's fine. But say something does happen...and you're not there to do anything about it. What then?"

A feeling of uneasiness began to stir in the Tendo daughter as she pondered her classmate's words. "If something does happen..."

With a deep sigh, Akane reluctantly propped herself up off the wall and headed toward the kitchen to drop off her glass.

"I'll grab my jacket."

* * *

After a short walk from the Tendo residence, Ranma strolled up to the Cat Café's entrance and noticed a sign on the door to alert customers of special operating hours for the day.

"Closed at 3 o' clock today. Guess that makes sense."

The pigtailed boy took a deep breath before sliding the door open and stepping inside.

"Oh, Ranma!" a cheerful Ringo greeted him, still dressed in her pink waitressing outfit.

"Yo. Where's Shampoo?" Ranma asked her.

"She'll be out in a second," Ringo smiled, making sure her Amazon employer wasn't within hearing distance before whispering something to her former host body. "Did you bring any money with you?"

Ranma leaned in and gave the redhead a sharp look. "You know darn well I ain't got any money."

"That's what I thought," Ringo sighed, reaching into her apron. "Here..."

Ranma blinked as Ringo swiftly slipped a paper bill into his shirt pocket. "What's this?"

"Five thousand yen."

"H-hey, I don't need this! How am I supposed to pay ya back for-?"

"Ranma," the girl with the ponytail interrupted, placing her hands on his shoulders, "don't worry about it, okay? Shampoo's been looking forward to this a lot, so I want you guys to have fun."

Before the pigtailed martial artist could argue any further, his date for the evening sprung out from the hallway in the back of the restaurant.

"Nihao!" Shampoo said excitedly.

It was immediately apparent to Ranma that something was different than usual about his lavender-haired friend, but it took him a moment to realize that it was her attire that initially threw him off. Shampoo was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved, white, button-up blouse complete with a brown, leather purse hung over her shoulder. Not exactly the usual Chinese apparel she sported.

"What Ranma think?" she giggled, performing a little twirl for him. Her pink lipstick and blue eyeshadow only added to the new look.

"You...uh...you look good," Ranma finally managed to say after the surprise began to wear off. "I wasn't expectin' ya to dress like...well..."

"Like a Japanese girl?" Ringo laughed, prompting the pigtailed boy to nod in response. "She wanted to do something special, so we went shopping after we closed the restaurant yesterday. It really suits her, don't you think?"

Shampoo giddily stepped up next to Ranma and nudged him in his good arm. "Shampoo glad you like. You is ready to go?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Where we goin', anyway?" he inquired.

"We go to Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena on Odaiba."

"O-Odaiba? That far?" Ranma asked, not at all expecting that they'd be making a trip to the popular island sitting in Tokyo Bay. "You even know how to get there?"

The Amazon girl whipped out a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to him. "Shampoo ask customer for direction earlier."

Scratching his head as he read the directions over a few times, Ranma eventually had an idea of where they needed to go.

"So we gotta take a train to this stop, go to the Shimbashi Station, then take the Yurikamome transit line over to Odaiba. What're we gonna do when we get there though?"

"Shampoo tell you later," she smiled, playfully sticking her tongue out at him. "We go now?"

Ranma was eager to find out what she had planned, but in the end it didn't matter, he figured. He'd find out soon enough.

"Yeah, let's get goin'."

After locking up the Cat Café, Shampoo walked up next to Ranma and the two of them began their trek to the train station.

"Have fun, you two!" Ringo shouted, waving goodbye to them from afar.

"See you tomorrow!" Shampoo called out, waving back to her waitress.

"I'll be back later!" Ranma yelled back to her. "And thanks for...y'know..."

Watching her two friends walk down the road together gave Ringo a fuzzy feeling all over. She knew how hard Ranma had been working on his studies since he came back, and she knew better than anyone just how tough it had been for Shampoo to try to keep her distance and let him concentrate. Finally, she thought, the two of them could unwind and enjoy themselves for a change.

"Have fun, huh?"

A chill ran down the redhead's spine when she heard the aggravated voice speaking directly behind her. She knew who it belonged to without even having to turn around.

"U-Ukyou..."

When Ringo looked back, she saw a second acquaintance of hers, who looked equally annoyed, standing next to the okonomiyaki chef.

"And...Akane. What are you two doing here?"

"Looking out for Ran-chan's well-being," Ukyou replied sourly.

"Exactly," Akane said in agreement as the two of them began trailing their targets. "Ringo, tell Kasumi to leave me some dinner when you get home, okay?"

Much to the surprise of her friends, Ringo jumped in front of them and held her arms out to stop them from going any further.

Akane eyed her nervous classmate curiously as she came to a halt. "What are yo-?"

"Please, I know I can't stop you from doing this," the redhead began to say, so frightened about taking a stance that her hands were trembling, "but... please, don't cause them any trouble?"

Ukyou reached forward to place her hand on Ringo's shoulder, planning to assure her that they wouldn't do anything unless the situation called for it. But when she grabbed her shoulder, Ringo suddenly let out a brief cry of pain.

While the rattled okonomiyaki chef retracted her arm, Ringo quickly cupped her hands over her mouth. This wasn't good, she realized.

"W-what?" Ukyou cried, looking extremely worried that she'd done something to hurt her friend.

The redhead looked unusually tense as she shook her head. "N-no, it's nothing! I'm sorry if I scared you! My shoulder is just a little sore from work today, that's all!"

Ukyou didn't think anything of Ringo's sore shoulder, but Akane wasn't quite so sure about her story. "Ringo, she barely touched you. Let me take a look at that arm-"

"No!" Ringo shouted, hurriedly backing away when Akane reached her arm out. "It's okay, really! I need to go home and help Kasumi with dinner now, so...!"

Her patience at its limit, Akane shot her arm outward and yanked the collar of her friend's waitressing outfit aside. The youngest Tendo daughter's eyes widened when she saw that nearly all of Ringo's shoulder had a large bruise on it.

"Stop!" the redheaded girl cried out, pulling herself out of Akane's grip. "I said it's fine..."

Ukyou wasn't sure what to make of Akane's actions as she stared over at her. "What is wrong with you, Akane?"

With a deep sigh, the Anything-Goes martial artist glared coldly at Ringo. "I noticed...right after they got back from China last month, you stopped using the bath when anyone else was in there. You've always been wearing clothes that cover up your neck, arms, and legs since then too."

Ringo looked incredibly uncomfortable as she stood holding her hand against her shoulder.

"I thought you hated fighting, Ringo?"

"I...I do..."

"Then why?"

The part-time waitress knew there wasn't any point in hiding it any longer. Akane had found her out.

"Shampoo...she didn't have anyone to practice with since her great-grandmother stayed in China, so..."

Snorting angrily at the reply before Ringo could even finish, Akane turned away and walked past her friend in disgust. "Forget it."

Seeing how terrible the girl with the ponytail felt, Ukyou gently wrapped an arm around her and gave her a light hug. "Sorry, I know how it is for you. I don't blame you, okay?"

Ringo remained silent, too upset at the moment to utter a reply.

"Look, I'll talk to Akane about it," Ukyou assured her. "You head on home, Sugar."

The okonomiyaki chef took off after Akane, leaving a heartbroken Ringo standing by herself outside the restaurant. Trying to fight off the tears forming in her eyes, she fell to her knees and clutched her shoulders tightly.

"I...I just wanted to help..."

* * *

While waiting for the next train to arrive, Ranma made sure to read over the directions to get to Odaiba one last time. Better to double-check than mistakenly pull a Ryouga-esque move and hop on the wrong train, he figured.

"Is right one?" Shampoo asked him.

"Think so..." Ranma answered, for the most part aware of what he was doing.

In hindsight, he was glad Ringo had lent him the money earlier. Thanks to that, he was able to buy the train tickets to get he and Shampoo where they needed to go. Those wouldn't be the last train tickets they'd be needing today either, not to mention there might be other things to do that cost money once they got there.

"Y'know, it's funny," Ranma chuckled, "as long as I've been here, I ain't really used the trains that much. Heck, I've never even been to the part of Tokyo where Odaiba is."

"You no want go before?" Shampoo asked him curiously.

Ranma pondered the question for a moment before answering. "It ain't that. I guess I just never needed to go before, so I didn't. I ain't usually got money layin' around though, so I probably couldn't have gone anyway."

Giggling a bit at the pigtailed boy's response, Shampoo reached into her purse and handed him the tickets she was given yesterday. "We go see that tonight."

Glad that he was finally being informed of what he was being dragged to, Ranma quickly grabbed the tickets and read them over. "Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena...Cherry Blossom Bash...Extreme Gymnastics Federation?"

The name rang a bell to Ranma, who placed his hand on his chin as he tried to remember where he'd heard it.

"Oh, I remember! Some guys in class talk about it sometimes," he recalled.

Shampoo watched his reaction closely, a bit concerned that he wouldn't be interested. "What Ranma think? Is okay?"

"Well, gymnastics ain't really my thing, but it's supposed to be a lot of fun to see live, so I don't mind checkin' it out," he answered, much to his date's relief. "This is martial-arts rhythmic gymnastics though, ain't it? Like the same thing Kodachi does?"

"Shampoo think is same," she replied, snickering to herself as she remembered a story she heard. "Maybe Ranma want compete when we there?"

Ranma grimaced with embarrassment as memories of the past flooded back to the front of his mind. "Hey, that was before you even got here. How'd you hear about that?"

"Ringo tell Shampoo that one," she said, holding one hand at her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ohh, right. I guess she'd know since she was kinda part of me back then," Ranma muttered in reply.

His lavender-haired friend noticed his discomfort, but she still felt it necessary to throw one last jab in. "Shampoo no think pink leotard suit Ranma."

Ranma paled as he leaned over and put his hand over his face. "C'mon, don't remind me..."

"Shampoo sorry! No could help self," she laughed. The vision of the manly Ranma doing gymnastics in a girly leotard was too absurd for her not to poke fun at.

With the sound of the train drawing near, Ranma propped himself back up and watched the metal contraption come to a stop in front of them.

"Alright, let's go," he said, leading Shampoo inside one of the cars.

What neither of them noticed was the two girls peeking out from behind a nearby pillar, watching their every move like hawks.

"Well, there they go," Akane said to her partner in snooping.

"Yup," Ukyou replied, then feeling the need to clear something up before they proceeded. "Hey, don't you think you were a little harsh with Ringo?"

Akane groaned as she was reminded of the incident earlier. "I know, alright? I know. I'll apologize to her when I get home."

"What was that about, anyway?" Ukyou asked her. "I know you hate Shampoo, but why get mad at Ringo for something like that?"

"It's not her fault, I know," Akane said quietly, already feeling remorseful about the way she'd treated the redhead earlier. "It's just...I asked her to spar with me a lot, and she always told me she didn't like fighting. But then she has no problem helping Shampoo train?"

Ukyou knew there had to be some good reason for it, whatever that may be. Ringo wasn't one to play favorites, after all.

"Well, you have other options, like your dad. Shampoo doesn't really have anyone else since Cologne stayed in China, so maybe that's it," Ukyou suggested. "Or maybe she was just afraid you'd hurt her..."

"Excuse me?" Akane snarled.

"Hey, I'm just saying, I've heard how you get in spars," Ukyou pointed out.

"And sparring with a wild Amazon girl is going to be better?" Akane asked, sounding agitated.

"Good point," Ukyou conceded before recognizing the need to focus on their mission. "Okay, let's go. We'll get in a different car so they don't see us...though..."

The okonomiyaki chef stared suspiciously at a dark-haired girl shrouded in a black cloak that she noticed entering another one of the train cars. "Is that who I think it is?"

Akane peered over at the area where her classmate was looking, but failed to see who she was referring to. "Who?"

Seeing that the woman in question had already entered the car, Ukyou motioned for Akane to follow her and hurried toward the door. Just moments after the girls entered the car, the door closed behind them and the train began moving, leaving them to seek out the woman they'd followed inside.

It wasn't long before Ukyou caught sight of a long, black ponytail sticking out from behind a newspaper.

"There," she said, wasting no time heading over to the female with Akane close behind.

Hearing someone clear their throat in front of where she was sitting, the girl poked her head out from behind her newspaper to see who was disturbing her.

"I knew it," Ukyou snorted.

"Kodachi too, huh?" Akane commented, sounding plenty displeased that the Black Rose happened to be on the same train as them.

The feelings were mutual, as Kodachi frowned at the sight of her rivals for Ranma's affection. "The peasants. How unpleasant to encounter you here..."

"Watch it!" Akane snapped back at her.

Ukyou began rubbing her head, feeling a headache coming on very quickly. "I guess you heard about Ranma-honey's little date too?"

"Of course. My information networks are flawless," Kodachi replied arrogantly.

Akane immediately scoffed at the response. "Please, you probably just had Sasuke hiding underneath our floorboards again."

"That is of no concern to you," the scornful gymnast told her, shifting her gaze to the window at the front of the car that gave her a view of Ranma and Shampoo sitting together. "I do not know what you two plan on doing, but I shall not allow that hussy to put her filthy hands all over my Ranma darling!"

Ukyou and Akane could understand her feelings, but they knew better than to jump the gun in this situation.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but if you try to stop it now you'll just make Ran-chan mad at you," the okonomiyaki chef explained to her.

"What then?" Kodachi snapped, jumping out of her seat to get in Ukyou's face. "Do you intend to let this travesty proceed?"

Akane was already beginning to tire mentally as she shook her head in response. "Nothing is going to happen between them, okay? We're just going to...make sure of that, I guess."

The Black Rose wanted badly to end to her suitor's date this instant, but if making Ranma angry at her was the result then it simply wasn't an option. Regrettably, she thought to herself, the peasants were probably right in this case.

"Fine then," Kodachi pouted, folding her arms across her chest as she sat back down. "But the instant she tries anything, I am putting a stop to this awful date!"

"Fine," Ukyou agreed, breathing a sigh of relief. "We all want the same thing, so let's try to work together just this once. Okay?"

The defiant gymnast shrugged her shoulders and bit down on her lip, not at all happy with the current situation.

While the three girls tried to relax and waited for the train ride to end, Akane glanced through the window at the front of the car and watched her fiancée and Shampoo conversing. She couldn't tell what they were talking about, but Shampoo certainly seemed to be enjoying herself, getting a good laugh out of whatever Ranma was saying.

Angrily gritting her teeth, Akane quickly turned away from the window. Even though it was just two friends talking, she still couldn't stand the sight of Ranma and that girl together.

* * *

After an adventure through a busy part of Tokyo that neither he nor Shampoo had ever experienced before, Ranma and his date eventually reached the Shimbashi Station and boarded the Yurikamome transit line bound for Odaiba. During their earlier train ride and journey to the next station, the sun had slowly begun to set at one end of the sky. As a result, the two teenage martial artists now found themselves looking out at the orange sky casting its glow upon Tokyo Bay as the train crossed over the Rainbow Bridge that connected the island of Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo.

"Aiyaa, is pretty," Shampoo said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Ranma didn't think much of the sight, but he'd never been one to get taken in by scenery anyway.

"Ah! Ranma look over there!"

Turning to see what Shampoo was pointing at, Ranma soon noticed the giant ferris wheel towering in the distance.

"Hey, I've seen that thing on tv before," he recalled. "It's one of the biggest ferris wheels in the world."

Shampoo seemed genuinely impressed with the sight of the giant wheel. "It look fun."

It took a moment for Ranma to realize that Shampoo may have been hinting at something.

"You wanna go on it?" he asked her.

The lavender-haired girl glanced over at him with a hopeful look in her eyes. "You think there enough time?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "We'll go see if it's still open when the gymnastics thing's over though. Sound good?"

Excited about the possibility, Shampoo happily nodded in response.

It wasn't long before the train reached the station and Ranma and Shampoo finally set foot on Odaiba. The two of them initially had no idea how to get to the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena, but a helpful map located directly outside the station showed them exactly where it was located. Luckily for them, it was a relatively short distance from where they were.

"Alright, this place ain't too far away," Ranma said. "Let's go."

While the two of them walked toward their destination, Shampoo decided to have a little fun and linked her arm with Ranma's.

"Man, people are gonna think we're a couple if we look like this y'know," Ranma said to her, sounding embarrassed.

"It no matter," Shampoo smiled. "Is no one Ranma know, yes?"

"Well, no..."

"Then they think what want."

Ranma had to admit, she had a valid point. It wasn't like they would run into anybody they knew, right?

"Alright, I got it," he finally replied, reluctantly willing to go along with the arm-in-arm stroll despite any looks they might get.

Once they got closer to the arena, Ranma noticed that a growing number of people walking in the same direction as them were dressed in pink and black clothing. Not only that, but some of them were carrying folded up signs and banners, as well as different types of noisemakers. It was only a small taste of what he and Shampoo witnessed when they turned the corner around a pastry shop and saw the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena for the first time.

"What the-?" the pigtailed boy exclaimed, amazed by the sight.

There were three lines of rowdy people stretched out along a sidewalk outside the arena, all waiting to get their tickets punched and enter the massive building. Like the people Ranma had noticed earlier, many of them were decked out in pink and black attire and had banners and other various objects with them.

"Is so many people!" Shampoo marveled. "We need get in line to go inside?"

"Seems like it," Ranma replied.

While the two of them headed to the back of one of the lines, Ranma noticed a large electric banner on the outside of the arena which read, "Extreme Gymnastics Federation presents Cherry Blossom Bash: Priscilla vs. Sakura III."

"Priscilla and Sakura, huh?" he said, catching the attention of some fans standing in front of him. "Wonder who the favorite is."

A black-haired girl dressed like a punk rocker quickly spun around and got in Ranma's face. "What're you talkin' about? Sakura's gonna beat that bitch this time! Who cares if Priscilla's never been beaten? If anyone can do it, it's Heavy Metal!"

The girl's passionate declaration drew a rousing ovation from a number of the others in line, who joined in with pro-Sakura banter of their own.

Shampoo blinked curiously as she watched the wild fans go off. "They no like that Priscilla girl?"

"Guess not," Ranma laughed, amused by the fans' antics. "I still ain't sure 'bout the gymnastics thing, but this place sure is energetic."

Back at the nearby pastry shop, Akane and Ukyou cautiously poked their heads out from behind the corner of the building to monitor the situation from afar.

"Extreme Gymnastics Federation?" Ukyou said, squinting her eyes to read the electric display on the building. "Since when have either of them been interested in gymnastics?"

"Who knows," Akane shrugged. "We're going to need tickets if we want to get in there though."

"You bring enough money?" Ukyou asked her.

"There you are!"

When the duo turned around to see who was screaming, they found an irritated Kodachi Kuno glaring at them.

"How dare you leave me back at the station?" she yelled.

"You expect us to wait while you go stand in front of a window and start putting makeup on?" Ukyou snapped back at her.

"A beauty such as myself must never go into battle not looking her best!" Kodachi declared, running her hand through her hair. "Now then, where has my darling Ranma gone?"

Akane calmly pointed her finger at the arena around the corner. "See for yourself."

Walking up next to the two other girls, Kodachi poked her head out and quickly spotted the object of her affection and his date near the front of a line of people.

"So there they are," she observed. "What on earth are they do-"

When Kodachi's eyes met the banner on the front of the arena, she immediately let out a gasp and fell backward onto her rear.

"N-NO!" she screamed, clutching her head tightly with both hands.

Ukyou and Akane were equally confused about the gymnast's sudden breakdown.

"Now what's wrong with you?" Ukyou asked with annoyance in her tone.

The girls were beginning to notice that Kodachi looked physically ill, cupping her hands over her mouth and breathing heavily as she scooted back against the pastry shop's wall.

"I...I cannot...go in there," the dark-haired gymnast quietly told them. "You peasants...I...I entrust Ranma darling to you..."

"Stop calling us that!" Akane fumed before turning around to check on Ranma and Shampoo. "Hey, they went inside! The longer we wait, the tougher it's going to be to find them..."

"Go!" Kodachi screamed at her rivals.

The sometimes maniacal Kuno sibling wasn't their friend by any stretch of the imagination, but Ukyou and Akane didn't feel great about leaving the clearly troubled girl by herself. They had an objective, however, and Kodachi was urging them to go.

"Fine," the okonomiyaki chef said reluctantly. "Let's go, Akane."

While Ukyou and Akane headed to the back of the line in front of the arena, Kodachi looked up into the sky and began taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Extreme...Gymnastics...Federation..." she mouthed, her hands still trembling violently. "Why...why must I remember such awful things?"

The Black Rose pulled her legs in close to her chest and buried her face in her knees, completely indifferent toward the curious looks from passersby.

"Even after I chose to forget...why do you still haunt me, Master?"

* * *

Inside the packed corridor of the arena, Ranma and Shampoo were following signs with section numbers on them to figure out where exactly they were sitting.

"What one we looking for, Ranma?"

"The tickets say Section 4, which is...there!"

After spotting the sign that read "Section 4" a short distance ahead of them, Shampoo excitedly pulled Ranma by the hand toward the main area of the arena. The fantastic sight before them when they reached the entrance was one that left even Ranma speechless.

"Whoa..."

The bowl-like inside of the arena held a vast sea of fans dressed in pink and black along with banners supporting the competitor named Sakura. There were two levels of seats that stretched all around the oval-shaped space, those being the lower part that included Section 4 and an upper deck above that. An electric banner that stretched all around the border of the upper deck read "Cherry Blossom Bash" in large, pink letters and had an animated sequence of pink cherry blossom petals falling all around it.

In the middle of the floor below sat a square ring surrounded by three dark blue, nylon ropes and a steel post at each corner to hold the ring up. On each side of an apron that covered the underside of the ring was a graphic of the letters "EGF," the 'E' with a torn ribbon wrapped around it, the 'G' with a cracked club sticking out from the side, and the 'F' with a broken hoop dangling from the top. And on opposite sides of the square structure were large steel ramps that led competitors to the ring, each with an "EGF" banner above it that was similar to the logo on the ring apron.

Dazzled by the spacious arena, Shampoo took a step out onto the concrete staircase that led downward through the sections of seats. "Shampoo never see thing like this before..."

"You and me both," Ranma added. "This ain't nothin' like those matches they had at school. There's gotta be thousands of people here..."

"Hey! Ranma! That you?"

Suddenly hearing a voice calling out his name, the pigtailed boy scoured the rows of seats below him for a moment before finally spotting some familiar faces.

"Hey, I know them!" he laughed. "C'mon, Shampoo!"

The lavender-haired Amazon blushed when Ranma reached back and grabbed hold of her hand as he led her down the stairs. Even though she'd been clinging onto his arm earlier, this felt entirely different since Ranma had initiated the contact this time. Inwardly, she had to wonder if Ranma even realized he'd done it.

"Yo! If it ain't Hiroshi and Daisuke," Ranma greeted his friends from school.

"I knew it was you!" the shaggy-haired Hiroshi exclaimed.

"Hey, man," Daisuke greeted him. "How'd your tests go?"

"Passed 'em all!" Ranma boasted. "So, what're you two doin' here?"

"You kidding? This match is gonna be huge! We wouldn't miss this for the world!" Hiroshi passionately explained, raising his fist up into the air. "I didn't know you were an EGF fan though."

Ranma scratched his cheek as he peeked back at the girl standing behind him. "Well, I ain't really..."

The black-haired Daisuke leaned forward to see who his longtime classmate was referring to. "Hey, isn't that Shampoo?"

"Nihao," Shampoo smiled, briefly waving her hand to greet them.

Hiroshi looked back and forth at the two several times before a shocking realization occurred to him. "Ranma...and Shampoo...holding hands..."

Ranma felt confused as he looked down, only then realizing that he was holding Shampoo's hand. Embarrassed, he quickly let go and put his hand back in his pocket, a move that the Amazon girl couldn't help giggling at.

"You're on a date, aren't you?" Hiroshi cried, shaking his fists out of jealousy. "I'm so envious!"

"You could just get a girlfriend, y'know..." Ranma joked.

"How are we supposed to do that when you take all the girls?"

"Hey, easy, easy," Daisuke chuckled before turning back to Ranma. "So, where are you two sitting?"

As more and more crew members began to take their spots near the ring, some of whom were bringing out the competitors' gymnastics tools and placing them at ringside, Ranma pulled out the tickets to double-check he and Shampoo's seating arrangement. "Let's see...Section 4, Row 1, Seats 4 and 5."

"R-ringside seats?" Daisuke asked in disbelief. "Holy cow, man. How'd you pull that off?"

The Anything-Goes martial artist wasted no time pointing over at his date. "You'd have to ask her."

Both Hiroshi and Daisuke turned toward the Amazon for clarification, but were quickly denied.

"Is secret!" Shampoo smiled, grabbing hold of Ranma's arm again. "We go now, Ranma?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," he said before turning back to his classmates. "I'll see you guys later, alright?"

"Sure thing," Daisuke called out to him as he and Shampoo began descending the steps.

"Go to hell, you enviable bastard!" Hiroshi added bitterly.

Shortly after Ranma and Shampoo had reached the front row and taken their seats behind the metal railing separating the crowd from the ringside area, a well-dressed man in a black suit entered the ring with a microphone in his hands and held it up to his mouth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's Cherry Blossom Bash!"

The announcement drew an incredible roar of anticipation from the thousands in the crowd before the announcer continued speaking.

"First off, I would like to announce that tonight we set a new record for an EGF event with 8, 939 fans in attendance!" he said, much to everyone's delight. "Thank you to all of you for coming here on this momentous night! And now, it is time for the first of two preliminary matches before our main event of the evening!"

A number of spotlights positioned on the ceiling above the ring began shining green and yellow lights all over the arena and an upbeat dance tune started to play as a gymnast and her second walked out onto one of the ramps, waving to the audience as they gave her an ovation.

Meanwhile, up in the upper deck, two girls were closely eying the seats below to spot the targets they'd lost sight of.

"I can't believe all they had left were these nosebleed seats!" Ukyou grumbled. "These things weren't cheap either..."

"We're lucky they had seats at all," Akane told her, continuing to scour the sea of fans for her fiancée. "Found them!"

"Where?"

"Down there in the front row. Look..."

When Ukyou focused her sights on the first row of seats below, it wasn't tough to pick Shampoo's unusual hair color out from the crowd.

"That's them alright," she noted, taking a deep breath as she sat back in her seat. "Guess we just sit back and watch the show for now."

* * *

Over the course of nearly an hour, the crowd inside the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena enjoyed some interesting moments during the preliminary matches. The first match was a competitive, back-and forth contest that ended after one girl lost her balance trying to spring off of the top rope and fell to the ring apron, only to be knocked to the floor outside after being struck in the face with three modified hoops at once. The second match, on the other hand, quickly turned one-sided after one of the girls was stunned by a swift club strike to the side of the head. She was soon overwhelmed with a torrent of ribbon lashes to the point that the referee stopped the match. The crowd was a bit disappointed that neither girl had a chance to use any of their special tools, but they knew not every match was guaranteed to live up to its potential.

Once the ring area had been cleared and crew members began bringing out the tools for the girls in the main event, the crowd wasted no time erupting in anticipation of the bout.

With everyone in the audience standing up and a deafening chant of "Sa-ku-ra" filling the arena, Shampoo pulled Ranma to his feet and leaned in close to him.

"Is so noisy!" Shampoo said, talking loudly so that Ranma would be able to hear her.

"No kiddin'!" he yelled back. "This is actually kinda fun! I can't wait to see why they're all goin' nuts over this last match!"

The two both watched curiously as several crew members muscled half a dozen gym bags that appeared to weigh quite a bit to the spot outside one corner of the ring. After dropping those off and walking to the backstage area, they soon returned with a combined eight trash cans filled with various tools and set them down outside the opposite corner of the ring.

While the crew moved over next to the television commentator's desk, the ring announcer was given the go-ahead to begin the introductions and promptly entered the ring. The roar of the crowd only growing louder, the announcer stood silent for a moment, nodding his head knowingly as he waited for the thrilled fans to calm down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for our main event!"

Much to the surprise of Ranma and Shampoo, as well as Akane and Ukyou in the upper deck, the entire arena suddenly went black. The lights going out only intensified the chanting of Sakura's name, however, and when three drum beats echoed throughout the building, the electronic banner bordering the upper deck flashing pink with each beat, the audience knew who was coming. The drum beats gradually intensified until finally the music broke out into a heavy metal anthem with lyrics that described the person coming out as a one of a kind warrior that put fear into everyone she faced. Up above, the upper deck's banner changed to read "Sakura Okazaki" in bright pink letters and had an animated effect of shattered glass falling in the background.

With the lights coming back on and pink spotlights shining over the crowd, the sound of not only electric guitars echoed throughout the arena, but the revving of a motorcycle as well. Turning to one of the steel ramps, Ranma and Shampoo both watched as a girl with long, wild-looking pink hair, black boots, and a pink and black leotard with the silver design of crossbones across the abdomen rode out onto the ramp on her motorcycle with a leather-clad girl with short, bright red hair holding onto her from behind.

A massive applause rained down from the crowd as Sakura pumped her fist in the air several times to acknowledge her fans before blazing down the ramp on her bike. Then, as she reached the bottom of the ramp and turned to the side, she and the other girl began high-fiving everyone leaning over the railing from the front row as they took a joyride around the ring. Ranma and Shampoo went with the flow and stuck their hands out, both receiving a slap from the wild-looking gymnast and her second as they cruised by.

After circling around the entire front row and propping the motorcycle up on a kickstand, the two girls simultaneously hopped over the top rope and into the ring, a pink blast of sparks shooting out from the top of each of the four ringposts at the moment they touched the mat. It was a flashy display that Sakura's fans had grown to love over the years of watching her.

As the heavy metal tune faded and the spotlights dimmed, Sakura climbed up onto the middle rope in one corner of the ring and began waving her hands, urging the fans to be louder. The crowd gladly responded, showing no shortage of love for the pink-haired gymnast. Once she was satisfied, Sakura hopped down from the rope and stood facing the other entrance, anxiously awaiting her opponent for the evening.

"Well, that was somethin'," Ranma commented, peering over at the other entrance ramp.

Shampoo nodded in agreement. "Now is time see girl they no like..."

When the blaring of trumpets and other orchestral instruments making up a medley that was fit for an Olympian began sounding through the arena's speakers, the crowd's reaction was the polar opposite of what they'd given Sakura. The amount of hissing and booing was tremendous as a girl wearing a golden leotard designed to look like the flag of the United States of America strutted out onto the ramp with an American flag draped over her shoulders. Red, white, and blue spotlights moved to shine over her, making the gold glitter that covered her long hair, which was tied up in a large bun on the back of her head with one long group of strands on each side extending down the front of her body, shimmer brightly. Seeming indifferent to the crowd's hatred of her, the girl grabbed hold of her flag and raised her arms into the air, striking a pose as an incredible waterfall of golden sparks began to fall behind her.

In the midst of her opponent's entrance, the pink-haired gymnast in the ring had her eyes locked on only one thing: the leather belt with gold plates wrapped around the golden girl's waist.

As a sequence of golden stars fell behind the name "Priscilla Winters" on the upper deck's banner, the unpopular gymnast very slowly made her way toward the ring. At one point she simply stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, appearing to bask in the crowd's dislike of her. Leaving her flag behind as she reached the ring, she nimbly hopped up to the top rope in a nearby corner, turned to the audience, and raised her arms to pose for them once more. Already doing a fine job of displaying their dislike for Priscilla as the music faded out, the Tokyo audience was further incited when the golden-haired girl grinned wickedly and made a gesture implying that they could all kiss her ass.

"She sure isn't out to make friends, is she?" Ukyou said, not sure why someone would enjoy being hated that much.

"Why would she act like that?" Akane wondered, almost forgetting why she was there for a moment as she witnessed the spectacle. "She must be a horrible person..."

Tensions were extremely high as the announcer stepped into the middle of the ring to formally introduce the competitors.

"The following contest is for the Extreme Gymnastics Federation Championship!"

The crowd's booing quickly turned to cheers of anticipation as the two girls stared at each other from opposite sides of the ring.

"Introducing first, the challenger," the announcer continued. "From right here in Tokyo, Japan, she is Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki!"

The wild-looking gymnast dressed in pink and black pumped her fist in the air to acknowledge her supporters as chants of "Sa-ku-ra" rained down louder than they had all night. It took nearly an entire minute for the audience to quiet down enough for the introductions to continue.

"And her opponent," the announcer said, prompting the crowd to vocalize its dislike for the golden-haired girl again. "Formerly hailing from Jacksonville, Florida in the United States of America, she is the still undefeated Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion, Priscilla Winters!"

Looking as if she were enjoying herself, Priscilla waved her hands to encourage the sour fans to jeer her even more before removing the championship belt from her waist and handing it off to the female referee. After giving the belt to a crew member near the television announcer's desk, the referee then motioned for the two girls to come to the center of the ring.

"Okay, you two know the rules," she explained to them. "This match goes until one of you touches the floor, gives up, or can't continue. If you're knocked down, I may start a ten count. If you can't stand up by the time I count to ten, this match is over. Let's have a good, clean contest, ladies."

Not yet ready to go back to her corner, Priscilla raised three fingers in front of her as she stared down her opponent.

"That supposed to mean something?" Sakura asked her.

"Yes, it is," Priscilla smiled confidently. "After tonight, this is how many times I'll have beaten you and dashed the hopes of your pathetic fans."

"Oh yeah?" the pink-haired woman said, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd when she suddenly raised her middle finger up to Priscilla's face. "This is how many shots it's gonna take me to knock you out, you miserable bitch."

Apparently satisfied, the champion smirked with amusement at the gesture and headed back to her corner.

Over in the front row, Ranma watched with interest as the crew members at ringside took the garbage cans they'd brought out earlier and began dumping ribbons, clubs, and other common gymnastics tools onto the floor all around the ring.

"Why the heck are they doin' that?" he asked.

"Maybe because American girl no have second?" Shampoo pointed out.

Ranma noticed that Sakura's second was setting up tools in her corner of the ring, but sure enough there was no one outside Priscilla's corner.

"Hey, you're right. I didn't even notice," the pigtailed boy said, scratching his cheek as he wondered how this worked. "So...how's she supposed to get tools?"

The two watched closely as Priscilla pulled a ribbon out of the neck area of her leotard. Unraveling the item while she walked over to one edge of the ring, she snapped it down onto the floor with amazing speed and precision and whipped two clubs up into the air before catching one in each hand.

"Okay, nevermind, I get it," Ranma muttered.

"That girl no is bad," Shampoo said, complimenting the unpopular champion's ability.

While she was waiting for the ring bell to sound and the match to begin, Priscilla started to comb over the first few rows of fans to get a better look at the scowls directed toward her. Then, in an awkward moment, her expression turned to one of concern as she spotted something that caught her attention.

Noticing the look on the gymnast's face, Ranma looked back and forth between she and Shampoo to see if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. "Is she...lookin' at you?"

His lavender-haired friend looked extremely confused as she stood next to him.

"Shampoo think so, but no know why," she answered, trying to figure out what exactly that was about herself. "Never meet that girl before..."

When the referee called out to ask if she was ready, Priscilla hesitated for a moment before turning away from the front row of seats and nodding at the official.

Sakura did likewise, and with the ringing of the bell, the championship match began.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the Tendo residence, Soun and Genma were enjoying a little after dinner television while Kasumi finished cleaning dishes. Or they were trying to, at least. Both of them had been feeling a bit uneasy throughout the night given the current activities of Genma's son.

"Saotome..."

"Yeah, Tendo?"

"Everything is going to be fine, isn't it?" Soun asked nervously. "Ranma won't do anything...immoral?"

"No worries, Tendo," Genma told him, a bit more concerned about things than he was letting on. "He said himself it's just one little date he promised that Shampoo girl a long time ago. Besides, you know as well as I do he doesn't care about anything but martial arts right now."

Soun folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath, trying to relax and stop thinking about Ranma's date. "I suppose you're right. That's probably why we can't seem to get he and Akane married."

The two older men shared a brief chuckle as Ringo appeared from the kitchen with a tray in her hands. Kneeling down, she carefully set two cups of tea down on the table and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Oh, thank you, Ringo," Soun smiled.

To Soun's surprise, the redhead uncharacteristically ignored him and left without a word.

"Now that's strange. Is she upset about something?" he wondered.

"Sure seems that way," Genma replied. "She's usually in such a good mood too. It must really be something to get that girl's spirit down."

Inside the kitchen, Ringo slowly walked over to the sink and set the tray down on the counter next to Kasumi.

"Thank you for doing that," the eldest Tendo daughter told her.

"Sure," Ringo replied weakly. It was easy for anyone to see that her mind was in a different place right now. "Hey, Kasumi?"

"Yes? What is it?" Kasumi asked.

"Could...we talk about something when you finish with the dishes?"

Kasumi noticed as soon as Ringo got home that she seemed bothered by something, so the request didn't come as much of a shock to her. "Of course! It shouldn't take much longer."

"Okay," Ringo said, quietly dragging herself out of the kitchen. "I'll be up in my room..."

The soon-to-be-wife of Dr. Tofu felt very worried seeing Ringo like this. Her not being cheerful just didn't seem natural.

"That poor girl. I wonder what happened..."

* * *

Back at the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena, fans were screaming for the pink-haired gymnast to finish off Priscilla Winters after twenty-five grueling minutes of action had left both girls exhausted and the ringside area looking like a junkyard.

Broken clubs and hoops, ribbons, a wooden table split in half, a skillet, a microphone cord, and a destroyed snare drum were only some of the objects littering the ring and floor below. The ring's top rope was torn off on one side, leaving it dangling loosely around the other edges. And in the midst of the scene of carnage, Sakura and Priscilla were both trying to get back to their feet while the referee continued her count to ten.

"Ranma...this really gymnastics?" Shampoo asked her pigtailed friend in disbelief.

"I guess so long as they use tools it is," Ranma answered, genuinely impressed by the unique abilities and toughness of the girls. "This ain't nothin' like my match against Kodachi though. This is just crazy..."

At the count of eight, both gymnasts managed to stand up with the help of the ropes to pull them to their feet.

The left side of Priscilla's face was drenched in blood from a cut she'd sustained on her forehead earlier, limiting her vision after the blood had gotten into her eye. Not only that, but the red substance was also seeping from her nostrils after her pink-haired challenger had likely broken her nose with the snare drum. Her legs were wobbly, but her mind was still clear as she leaned back against a ringpost holding two clubs that she'd just picked up off of the canvas.

Sakura wasn't having the same problem with blood loss that she'd caused Priscilla, but her body was covered with welts and her face was badly swollen from taking so many repeated attacks from the champion. This match-up of her strength and power against Priscilla's speed and accuracy hadn't gone her way in their previous two encounters, but she had the golden-haired girl in a great deal of trouble at the moment, and she was determined to finish her off. Grabbing an electric guitar from her second, Sakura bounced off the middle ring rope to give herself some momentum and shot toward the champion.

"Come here!"

The American girl waited for just the right moment and ducked to Sakura's left side just as she was about to swing her guitar. With her incredibly fluid motion, Priscilla then turned and aimed her right club for the back of her challenger's head. As she soon found out, however, Sakura's initial attack movement was a feint. The pink-haired gymnast saw right through Priscilla's counter and spun around before swinging her guitar as hard as she could manage.

A collective gasp came from the thousands in attendance as Priscilla's club struck Sakura directly in the chin, and the challenger's guitar, although it was a glancing blow, smashed into the right side of Priscilla's head and snapped into two pieces. Sakura immediately went limp and fell face first to the canvas while Priscilla spun around from the impact of the guitar and fell flat on her back.

"Oh man, that's it," Ranma said, wincing as he looked upon the fallen gymnasts.

With the crowd screaming for Sakura to rise from the mat, the referee once again started her count to ten. "One! Two! Three!"

"_You've almost got her, Sakura! Get up!"_

"_Sakura! Knock her out!"_

"_Stand up, Sakura! Please!"_

Caught up in the spirit of the moment, Shampoo cupped her hands around her mouth and went along with the frantic fans in cheering Sakura on. "She no can get up, Sakura! No lay there like that! Stand up!"

"C'mon, Sakura! Get the heck up! Everyone's rootin' for ya!" Ranma joined in, cheering on the representative of Japan.

"Four! Five! Six!" the referee continued to count.

The pink-haired fan favorite still lay motionless as Priscilla began to stir, weakly raising her arm up and grabbing hold of the middle rope.

"Seven! Eight!"

The golden-haired girl pulled on the rope with all her might and managed to get to one knee as the audience cried for Sakura to move.

"Sakura!" Ranma and Shampoo both shouted together, trying along with everyone else to rouse the challenger. There was no hope this time though. Sakura had been knocked unconscious.

"Nine! Ten!"

Priscilla, who had pulled herself to both knees, collapsed into one corner of the ring as the referee called for the bell to sound, an enormous expression of disappointment coming from the record audience.

At ringside, Ranma slammed his fist down onto the rail in frustration. "Damn! She was so close!"

"No can believe that!" Shampoo cried out.

After a quick word with the referee, the announcer grabbed his microphone to make the formal announcement of the result. "May I have your attention, please! Since neither Sakura nor Priscilla could answer the referee's ten count, the official decision is a draw! As a result, Priscilla Winters is still the Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion!"

A deafening roar of jeers rang down from the audience as the referee walked over to Priscilla with the championship belt. The unpopular champion immediately grabbed it and clutched it to her chest, knowing very well she'd dodged a bullet on this night.

While Sakura's second and several EGF crew members hopped into the ring to check on the challenger's condition, the bloodied Priscilla wearily rolled under the bottom rope and to the floor. Although crew members offered to help her backstage, she defiantly brushed all of them off and began stumbling forward on her own.

The golden-haired girl very slowly moved along the ring apron until she was directly in front of where Ranma and Shampoo were standing. Breathing heavily as she raised her head, she then turned and looked directly at the Chinese girl in the white blouse.

"Again?" Ranma blinked. "You sure you don't know her?"

Shampoo watched as Priscilla pushed herself away from the ring apron and collapsed into a kneeling position in front of the railing. Lifting her hand up, she curled her finger several times, motioning for Shampoo to come closer to her.

Perplexed but curious, Shampoo leaned in close to the bloodied champion to see what she wanted.

"Don't...don't tell her..." Priscilla's voice shook.

Without another word, the American gymnast pushed herself to her feet and continued her slow trek backstage to a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Shampoo tilted her head as she watched her leave, not having any idea what the cryptic message meant. "No tell her?"

"What the heck's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked.

"Have no idea..." Shampoo answered, still looking puzzled. "That one strange girl."

Shampoo would have had a tough time recognizing Priscilla even if she had seen her before since she was covered in so much gold glitter and blood from her match, but even so, she was positive she didn't know anyone who had such an awful attitude.

There was a sudden ovation from the audience as Sakura finally began to move. After being told by her second what had happened, she angrily stumbled to her feet and began kicking tools around the ring. Running her hands through her hair as she tried to deal with the disappointment, everyone still in the seats stood up and began applauding her performance. She may not have won, but they still appreciated her efforts.

Looking exhausted as she stared out into the crowd, she gingerly raised her fist into the air to acknowledge them.

After Sakura and her second had left the ring and headed backstage, Ranma and Shampoo stood up and stretched before they began following everyone up the stairs toward the exit. The surprisingly exciting martial arts rhythmic gymnastics show had finally ended.

On the balcony of the upper deck, Ukyou and Akane were closely watching the pair's movements as they left.

"Looks like they're heading for the front doors," Akane said.

The okonomiyaki chef nodded in reply. "Right, let's go."

As he walked along the corridor, Ranma soon began to remember something from earlier. "Oh, you wanted to check out that ferris wheel, right?"

"We still have time?" Shampoo asked, beaming as she recalled the giant ride.

"Think so," Ranma said, staring ahead at the flows of people leaving the arena. "Looks like there's another set of doors over there that leads that way. Let's take that. Looks less packed anyway."

* * *

Once they'd gotten outside, Akane and Ukyou immediately began searching the thousands of fans leaving the arena for Ranma and Shampoo. They'd assumed that the pair had left the building shortly before they got to the doors, but strangely they couldn't see them anywhere. The fact that the sky had grown dark over the last couple of hours didn't help their efforts either.

"What's going on, Akane? Tell me something here," Ukyou said, starting to worry.

"Maybe they haven't left yet," Akane suggested, already beginning to tire of following her fiancée around. "Let's just wait for a minute to see if they walk out."

One minute passed. Then three. Then five. Then ten. There was still no sign of them.

Once the flow of people coming out of the arena stopped, the girls got further away from the building to see if they could spot Ranma and Shampoo walking anywhere nearby.

"I can't believe this!" Ukyou growled. "It's like they just disappeared!"

The two were startled as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed them from behind and spun them around.

"I do hope you are not speaking of my darling Ranma!" a re-energized Kodachi said angrily.

"Are you still here?" Ukyou asked with surprise. "I thought you went home or something."

"I shall not return home until Ranma is freed from that Amazon hussy!" the Black Rose retorted, eying the girls sharply. "You've lost them, haven't you?"

Akane shrugged and placed her hands on her hips, not particularly concerned about it. "Like I said, nothing's going to happen. Why don't we just go home?"

"No, we are not leaving them alone!" the okonomiyaki chef shouted with determination. "If we can't find them, we'll just pick a direction and start looking around!"

For once, Kodachi was in complete agreement with her rival. "We haven't any time to waste! We must move out immediately!"

Wondering to herself why she continued to go along with this, Akane sighed deeply and began running behind the other two.

"Fine, let's go..."

* * *

After leaving the arena, Ranma and Shampoo began walking down one of the island's less populated roads on their way to the giant ferris wheel since it seemed like the most straightforward way to get there.

"That so much fun!" Shampoo smiled.

"Yeah, I'll admit, that was pretty good," Ranma agreed. "I never thought gymnastics girls could fight like that. Just watchin' it makes me wanna fight someone now..."

The pigtailed martial artist winced as Shampoo reprimanded him by pinching his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" he snapped.

Shampoo looked back at him sternly. "You no pick fight until arm is better."

Ranma scoffed at the comment while rubbing the pinched area on his good arm. "I can still fight like this..."

"But fight better when have two arms," the Amazon said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Ranma need take care of self better."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Walking along the silent road, Shampoo found herself staring at the lit up ferris wheel they were closing in on. The different patterns of colored lights flashing and swirling around the side of the giant attraction made for an incredible sight.

"Wheel so pretty when is dark outside," she said quietly.

"It's sure different seein' it in person like this," Ranma added, noticing that the gondolas on the ferris wheel were in motion as he looked closely. "Looks like it's still runnin' too..."

"Hey, lookie here!"

Ranma and Shampoo came to a stop when they heard the call coming from the direction to their left. To their surprise, a number of ragged looking men emerged from a nearby alley, led by one in particular with a green mohawk and a leather jacket, and began walking toward them.

"That's a fine lookin' chick ya got there, buddy!" the man leading the pack shouted.

The men's torn clothes gave Ranma the impression that they were just some common punks, but he wasn't about to let his guard down around them. "What do you guys want?"

"Want?" the man at the front grinned, licking his lips as he eyed the lavender-haired girl. "We wouldn't mind havin' some fun with your chickie, if ya know what I mean."

Shrugging off the annoyances, Shampoo wrapped her arm around Ranma and smiled coldly at the men. "Shampoo no have interest in weakling like you."

"Weakling?" the leader yelled, he and his men bursting into laughter at the assessment. "Yo, buddy, I love this chick! She's fiesty and stuff, y'know? We're totally takin' her with us!"

Ranma had to try hard not to laugh at the idiot's desire to take Shampoo with him. They had no idea what they would be in for.

"I think she's a little too much for you guys to handle," the pigtailed boy smirked. "We'll take ya on if you want though."

The gang of men again broke down laughing at Ranma's offer.

"You and your chickie against all of us?" the leader cried, rubbing his finger against a scar across his cheek. "Are you outta your freakin' mind?"

Raising his hand into the air, Ranma counted the men one-by-one and began scratching his head. "Yeah, I guess the nine of you against us ain't fair. How 'bout all of ya just fight me then?"

"Ranma!" Shampoo yelled with concern. "You no should fight!"

A number of the men couldn't believe that the injured boy with the pigtail wanted to take them on all by himself.

"You hear that, boys? The one-armed wonder here thinks he can take all of us!" the leader chuckled. "You're on, buddy! Don't blame us if ya get messed up though!"

Reaching up to the shoulder area of his broken arm, Ranma unsnapped his sling, freeing the injured limb from it's confined state. After slowly unfastening his shirt, he then removed it and handed both it and the sling over to his Amazon friend.

"Ranma, you listen?" Shampoo yelled at him.

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Ranma said, giving her an assuring smirk as he began stretching in his undershirt. "I ain't got much of a workout since I fought Mousse and I'm all fired up from watchin' that match earlier. I need this."

The last thing Shampoo wanted was for Ranma to re-injure his arm on their date, but she knew all too well how stubborn he was. She could scold him all she wanted, but in the end he would probably still want to fight the idiots.

"You no is allowed to get hurt!" she told him, giving him a worried look. "Ranma promise?"

Ranma gave her a thumbs up as he strutted over to the group of men. "Promise!"

Several of the thugs pulled metal pipes out from their jackets as they snickered at the one-armed martial artist.

"This oughtta be fun!" the leader laughed, pointing his hand forward at their target. "Get 'im boys!"

Grinning joyously as the punks closed in, Ranma planted his feet firmly on the ground and readied himself for some fun.

"Don't regret this!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 21**


	22. Date Night: Part II

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 22**

"Get 'im!!"

On the darkened street of Odaiba, the group of nine delinquents charged at Ranma with elation, licking their lips in anticipation of a one-sided beating in their favor.

With Shampoo looking on from behind, a brazen Ranma waved the thugs in with his good arm. "You guys should really think twice about this!"

"Shut up, One-Arm!" one of the quicker men yelled as he accelerated ahead of the others. "Time to learn what happens when ya mess with us! Take this!"

The bald-headed man reached back with his metal pipe in hand, ready to strike as he got within range of the pigtailed boy. When Ranma lunged forward, however, the delinquent suddenly found himself face-to-face with his target.

"Wha-?!"

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!!" Ranma shouted, bombarding the man with rapid-fire punches from his left arm.

The other men skidded to a halt, all of them in awe as they witnessed the relentless assault on their comrade. To the delinquents, who were used to sloppy back-alley brawls, Ranma's speed was nothing short of mystifying.

A delighted smile creeping across his face, Ranma put the full force of his weight into one last punch and sent the bald-headed hooligan flying into a nearby light post and to the ground.

"B-boss! This guy...!" one of the eight remaining punks stammered, shocked as were the rest at how easily their comrade had been defeated.

The leader was speechless, shaking with a mix of anger and anxiety while wisely reconsidering his plan of attack.

A short distance behind Ranma, Shampoo stood watching the battle with a not-so-surprised expression on her face. Rushing into a fight against someone like Ranma was about as smart as running into an oncoming bus, she thought. But even though her date for the evening clearly had the advantage at the moment, she was beginning to feel envious after seeing him enjoy himself so much.

"LISTEN UP, MORONS! He's just one guy, and he's only got one arm! There ain't nothin' to be scared of, got it!?" the man with the green mohawk yelled out to his subordinates, deciding to test just how good Ranma was before sending everyone at him again. "You two! Get over there and take care of 'im! Now!"

Sharing a nervous stare for a moment, two long-haired men stepped forward and positioned themselves with one on each side of Ranma.

"Usin' your heads now, huh?" Ranma smirked, keeping a close eye on the movements of the two men. "That ain't gonna be enough though."

"Cocky little punk!" one of them snarled back at him.

The man swung his metal pipe at Ranma's head with a fury, but ended up accidentally hitting his comrade in the face after the pigtailed boy swiftly took to the air. With one of them laid out and the other confused, Ranma landed in front of the man with the pipe again and delivered a thunderous punch to his gut followed by a flying knee to his chin, knocking him out cold as he fell back to the ground.

A collective gasp came from the remaining delinquents as Ranma brushed his hand off and gestured for the others to come at him.

"Come on, guys. I ain't even warmed up yet..." the young Saotome smiled.

Unnoticed for the moment, the man that had been inadvertently attacked by his friend stood up behind Ranma and reached out to grab him by the neck. "You-!"

_*whack!*_

When Ranma spun around, he saw the revitalized delinquent grabbing the back of his head with a purse sitting on the ground next to him.

"Oww, dammit! Who did that?!" the long-haired man snarled. Turning to see what had hit him, he was suddenly sent soaring into a pair of trashcans on one side of the street by a flying kick from Shampoo.

The crew of rogues, now numbering six, was now left to marvel at the strength of the lavender-haired girl as well.

"Boss...! The girly too..! What...what are they...?!" one of them began to panic.

"SH-SHUTUP, WILL YA?!" his boss barked back at him. "So what if they can fight?! It's six of us against the two of them!"

Meanwhile, a surprised Ranma placed his hand on his hip as he glanced over at Shampoo, who now had his jacket tied around her waist. "Hey, I can take 'em by myself, y'know..."

"Shampoo know that," she replied, taking a moment to stretch her muscles before smiling wickedly back at him. "Is no fair you keep all fun to self though."

* * *

After finishing with the task of cleaning dishes, Kasumi undid her apron and headed up the staircase of the Tendo home toward Nabiki's old room, which now belonged to Ringo. The young redhead had been sharing Akane's room since she'd first arrived last year, but Nabiki's sudden departure changed things. The room was as empty as the guest room that Ranma and Genma shared since Nabiki had taken all of the furniture with her, but Ringo didn't mind. She was just happy that she wouldn't be inconveniencing Akane anymore.

Once she'd reached the top of the stairs, Kasumi stepped over to Ringo's door and gently knocked on it twice.

"Come in."

When the eldest Tendo daughter opened the door, she found Ringo sitting in the middle of the room with the same dismal expression she'd worn all day.

"I'm all done now," Kasumi smiled, shutting the door behind her. She then walked over to the troubled girl and took a seat in front of her, folding her hands in her lap. "I don't mean to pry, but you haven't seemed yourself today, Ringo. Did something happen?"

The redheaded girl briefly nodded as she thought back on her encounter with Akane earlier in the day. "Kasumi...why do Akane and Shampoo have to dislike each other so much?"

"That would be...because of Ranma, but you already know that by now," Kasumi answered. It wasn't tough for her to get a general idea of what had happened. "It must be very difficult for you since you're friends with both of them. Did you get caught in the middle of their fighting?"

"Kind of," Ringo said, bringing her knees up to rest her head on. "Akane got angry because I helped Shampoo with her training. I think she's really mad at me..."

"So that's how it is," Kasumi sighed, flashing a kind smile at the redhead. "Please try not to be too upset with her. Akane really is a very kindhearted person, it's just...sometimes she lets her temper get the best of her. I'm sure she'll understand if you talk to her about it, okay?"

Ringo quietly nodded, still not feeling much better than she had before. Kasumi was probably right, she figured, but she'd still never seen Akane get this angry at her before. There had been an awful feeling eating away at her ever since it happened, and she wanted nothing more than to make it go away right now.

"Ranma..." Kasumi said, catching Ringo's attention, "he's really grown a lot since what happened in China. He's certainly still his old self most of the time, but he acts more mature than before. That's why...I think it's only a matter of time."

"A matter of time?" the girl with the ponytail asked, looking confused. "Until what, Kasumi?"

"Until he makes his choice," Kasumi answered, speaking seriously as she looked at the redhead across from her. "And whether he chooses Akane, Shampoo, or someone else, the ones he doesn't choose are going to be sad. They'll need a friendly shoulder to cry on I'm sure, so they'll need you to be there for them."

"Kasumi..." Ringo mouthed, not sure how to respond.

The eldest Tendo daughter scooted forward and grabbed hold of Ringo's hands. "Do you understand? You're a very important friend to them, Ringo. No matter what happens, make sure you're there to take care of them."

Ringo rubbed her eyes and sniffed, feeling moved by Kasumi's genuine request. She wasn't sure how important she was to Akane, Shampoo, Ukyou, or anyone else, but she would definitely be there for them no matter what, she decided. "I...I will!"

"They're lucky to have a kind friend like you," Kasumi smiled as she stood up. "Now then...how about a hot bath to warm you up?"

"Sure, that sounds nice," the redhead replied, finally managing a smile.

* * *

Their confidence rattled, the six remaining delinquents wasted no time surrounding Ranma and Shampoo. After watching their three comrades be defeated, they were no longer in the mood for playing around.

Seemingly enjoying themselves, the teenage martial artists stood back-to-back and waited for one of their opponents to make a move.

"Guess I can't talk ya outta this, huh?" Ranma smiled at the Amazon girl.

Shampoo shook her head and smiled back at him. "You no think Shampoo can handle this?"

"Nah, just the opposite," the pigtailed boy joked, looking around at the cautious punks surrounding them. "We might not make it to the ferris wheel on time if we take too long, so let's make it quick."

"You read Shampoo mind," the lavender-haired girl replied with a smirk, reaching over and gripping Ranma's left forearm tightly with both hands.

His patience at an end, the leader punk with the green mohawk, standing to Ranma's right, raised his metal pipe into the air and jumped forward to begin the assault. "Now!!"

At the first sign of movement, Ranma instantly swung his arm in the direction of the leader, and Shampoo along with it. Clutching onto Ranma's forearm, Shampoo soared around to where the delinquent leader was before he could even attack.

"You too slow!" Shampoo shouted, planting her foot into his face and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Boss!!" one of the other punks shouted, glaring angrily at the pair of martial artists after seeing his leader stunned. "How dare you do that to the boss?! You're dead!"

With the five standing delinquents all charging them at once, Ranma continued spinning Shampoo around like a weapon. One after the other, the men went sailing backward as the Amazon girl used their faces as virtual stepping stones, kicking them forcefully until none were left standing.

The field now cleared, Ranma turned his attention to the leader, who was still dazed but trying to stand back up. "Hey, Shampoo! Let's finish this!"

Ranma planted his feet solidly on the ground to stop his momentum, letting Shampoo land in front of him in a crouching position.

"Ready?" he grinned.

"Go!" Shampoo yelled out excitedly.

Still clutching onto Ranma's forearm, Shampoo used her legs, combined with a boost from her friend, to spring herself far up into the Odaiba sky.

The ragged looking man with the mohawk was still seeing stars as he shakily glared forward at Ranma from his knees. "You...little...brat! I'm going...to get you...!"

"I wouldn't be worryin' about me right now," Ranma smiled, pointing his finger up into the air.

Descending from above, Shampoo came crashing down on the delinquent leader, planting her feet into his kidneys with a devastating finishing blow.

"Auuuuggghh!"

The roughed up delinquents could only look on with concern at the ill state of their leader.

"Boss...!! Hang in there!"

"Are you alright, boss?!"

Weary from being spun around so much, Shampoo hopped off the defeated leader and began making her way back over to her date. "Aiyaa, so dizzy..."

"Aww c'mon, it wasn't that bad," Ranma said, somewhat amused by the Amazon girl's lack of equilibrium.

"That because you no swing around as much!" Shampoo jokingly retorted as she picked up her purse from the ground.

"Yeah, maybe," Ranma replied, raising his fist into the air. "That was some good teamwork."

Smiling happily, Shampoo reached up and bumped his fist with her own before handing him his sling. "We always make good team, silly Ranma."

While the two of them were standing tall at the moment, it didn't necessarily mean the battle was over as they soon realized that some of the delinquents were beginning to get back to their feet.

"Guess we shoulda made sure they stayed down," Ranma groaned, snapping his sling back onto his right arm as he looked around at the roughed up men. "Hey, guys, ain't this enough? We got things to do."

"Screw you!" one of them growled. "We're not letting you go after you did that to the boss!"

Before any further combat could take place, however, the tense situation was interrupted by the sound of a motor closing in from the distance, followed soon by the flash of a single headlight.

"W-who is it?!" one of the delinquents shouted.

The men soon became anxious when they got a better view of a motorcycle coming down the street, or to be more precise the flowing pink hair that ran down from the back of the rider's helmet. Slowing down as it neared the area of carnage, the bike came to a stop and the rider, dressed in a black leather jacket and pants, removed their helmet before hopping off the bike and taking in the scene around them.

"Hey, that's...from the gymnastics thing..." Ranma blinked.

"Is that Sakura girl," Shampoo realized, watching the girl with the swollen face curiously as she walked over to the fallen delinquent leader. "What she doing here?"

"The hell is this?" Sakura asked the men, sounding none too pleased.

"M-Metal!" the man with the green mohawk stammered while being helped to his feet by one of his comrades. "Th-this is...w-we were waitin' for ya, and..."

"You picked a fight?" the pink-haired gymnast asked him.

The delinquent leader turned away from Sakura's gaze, unable to think of a good excuse to give her. "S-sorry about this..."

Her face contorting with fury, Sakura reached her arm back and slammed her fist into the punk leader's nose, knocking him back down to the ground with a vengeance.

"Don't you idiots ever learn anything?!" she screamed at them. "How long are you gonna do this stupid crap?! Huh?! Honestly, it's like dealin' with a bunch of children!"

Thoroughly demoralized, the group of delinquents hung their heads with shame after being ripped into by the vulgar teenage gymnast.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself down before addressing the men again. "So, is the stage all set?"

"Yes! It's all done!" one of them answered nervously. "We were just waiting for you to show up!"

"Then get back over there! We're gonna start the show soon!" Sakura commanded them. "If you're late, I'm taking it outta your pay!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" they answered, hurriedly leaving the scene while some helped their leader and other injured comrades back to their feet.

As the delinquents made their way down the street, Sakura calmly strolled over to Ranma and Shampoo for a chat.

"Sorry for the trouble they caused ya," the girl in leather said apologetically. "I give 'em jobs so they don't do stupid things like this, but it's a work in progress."

Shampoo smiled at her and brushed off the incident, not feeling any resentment toward the group. "Is no problem. We have fun beating up those ones."

"Yeah, I bet," Sakura chuckled. "You guys must be pretty strong to hand 'em their asses like that."

"We ain't bad," Ranma replied, looking proud of the compliment despite his modest response. "By the way, should you really be ridin' a motorcycle around right after ya got knocked out?"

The pink-haired girl cringed at the mention of her match earlier in the night. "Ohh, saw that, huh? I'm fine. That blonde bitch just got me in the right spot with a weak hit. She's all about precision and technical crap. Boring as hell, y'know?"

Shampoo took a moment to think back on the match earlier in the night. "Now that mention, that Priscilla girl look much more hurt when match over..."

"I know, right?! That's 'cuz I hit harder and don't use a wimpy technical style!" Sakura beamed proudly. "Anyway, forget about that. My band's got a gig nearby that I need to get to. I can get you guys in for free to make up for the idiots botherin' ya earlier. How 'bout it?"

Ranma shared a quick glance with Shampoo before turning back to the teenage gymnast. "That sounds fine and all, but we were gonna head over to that ferris wheel before it closes."

Sakura looked back and forth between Ranma and Shampoo for a moment before a sly grin crossed her face. "Ohhh, so that's how it is. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then."

"H-hey, we ain't-" the pigtailed boy began to protest.

"Don't worry about it, I get it!" Sakura told him, putting her helmet back on and hopping back on her motorcycle. "You guys have fun. See ya 'round!"

"H-hey-!" Ranma shouted, but the unusual gymnast took off down the street on her bike before he could clear anything up with her. "Jeez, at least listen to other people!"

Beside him, Shampoo was giggling to herself with amusement at Ranma's frustration. "Is okay, yes? That girl no know you."

"Still-!" he groaned, but was quickly silenced by a finger placed on his lips by his Amazon friend.

"Then no is problem," she smiled. "We go to ferris wheel now?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Ranma snorted and began walking in the direction of the large ride. "Fine, I got it! Let's go!"

As she happily strolled up next to him, Shampoo realized that she still had Ranma's jacket wrapped around her waist.

"Ranma want jacket back?" she asked him.

The pigtailed boy took a brief peek down at his item of clothing before giving a slight shrug in response. "I'm still warmed up from that fight. You hang onto it for now."

* * *

"That sure felt good," Ringo cooed, filling herself a glass of cold water in the kitchen after her bath.

Talking with Kasumi had her feeling much better than she was earlier.

With things as they were between Ranma, Akane, and Shampoo, there were going to be times when someone would get upset with her like Akane had today. That was something she realized that she would just have to accept.

While walking back through the main room of the Tendo home, the young redhead stopped to address the two older gentlemen sitting at the table.

"Excuse me, Father, Mr. Tendo, but have Ranma and Akane come back yet?" she asked.

"Mmm? No, they're both still out," Soun replied, looking up from his newspaper.

"Is something wrong?" Genma asked her.

Smiling like her usual self, Ringo shook her head in response. "Nope! I just wanted to welcome them back is all."

With an energetic skip in her step, she walked over to the staircase and took a seat on the bottom step.

No matter what was happening at Odaiba right now, she wanted to greet Ranma and Akane with smiles when they came back home. That was the least she could do as their friend, she thought. Even something as simple as that could do a world of good.

* * *

"Where has my darling Ranma gone to?! I tire of this fruitless search!"

Along a quiet street of Odaiba, Kodachi Kuno's patience was reaching its limit as she ran alongside Ukyou and Akane.

"We don't know where he is, okay?! Whining isn't going to help!" Ukyou chided the Black Rose. "What else are we supposed to do?!"

Finding herself unable to think of a better idea at the moment, Kodachi bit down on her lip and continued running forward.

Akane, meanwhile, wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the other two girls were. She could've been sitting comfortably at home right now doing something productive like studying, but instead she'd allowed herself to be goaded into following her dolt of a fiancée around on his stupid date, she thought regrettably. It's not that she wasn't at all concerned about Shampoo trying something fishy with Ranma, but from what she'd seen so far it seemed unlikely that she was going to try anything. Besides which, even if she did, the idea of Ranma being accepting of her advances was laughable considering how little interest he had in romance.

"Really, you guys, this is getting stupid," Akane complained, slowing her pace until she'd come to a stop. "They might have gone home already for all we know."

"We can't know that for sure!" Ukyou said, her voice laced with frustration as she and Kodachi came to a halt.

"Exactly!" Kodachi said in agreement. "Do you think they would come all the way here and only attend that one show?! Don't be foolish! They must still be here!"

The youngest Tendo daughter let out an exhausted sigh and folded her arms, glaring over at the others with an annoyed look on her face. "Fine, you two can keep looking then. I'm tired of this."

"What?! You're giving up?!" Ukyou asked, sounding disappointed.

"You heard me! This is a waste of ti-" Akane began to say, but her eyes caught sight of something coming out of an alley in front of them. "Hey..."

When Ukyou and Kodachi turned around to see what Akane was looking at, they saw a group of men leave the alley and begin walking toward them. Walking may have been a generous term, however, as it seemed more like they were dragging themselves forward.

"They look like they just fell off a truck," Akane observed.

"Hey, you guys okay?!" Ukyou called out as the men got closer. "You want us to call an ambulance or anything?"

As a roughed-up looking man with a green mohawk stopped in front of the girls, the other men all followed suit and turned to see what he planned on doing.

"You..." he said, gesturing to Ukyou.

Getting a suspicious feeling from the men, the okonomiyaki chef grabbed hold of the handle of her giant spatula resting on her back before answering the delinquent. "Yeah?"

"What...kind of job do you have?" the green-haired man asked.

"Job?" Ukyou asked, a bit surprised by the question. "Err...I run my own restaurant..."

Letting out a deep breath, the delinquent leader looked up into the sky and chuckled to himself. "A restaurant, huh? That sounds fun..."

"Boss...?" one of the men behind him said, perplexed about his leader's actions much like the rest of the men.

"Dammit! That's it!" the leader suddenly shouted. "I'm gonna start my own damn restaurant! The hell with it!"

"Ehhh?!" the other punks all yelled in unison.

Ukyou and Akane shared a confused glance as they watched the unusual scene unfold.

Determined, the man with the mohawk turned to his men to address them. "I'm tired of this damn lifestyle! Even though Metal gives us work, I'm tired of bein' bossed around by that woman! I've had it, you hear me?! I'm startin' my own restaurant!"

"But...Boss, can you even cook?" one of the other men asked him.

The leader's face paled at the question. "Well....no. Can any of you cook?"

"I can make toast!"

"I make ramen all the time! I can cook eggs too!"

"I'm good at chopping vegetables! I can probably make a salad too, Boss!"

"We'll come with you, Boss! Let us help!"

The beat-up leader was moved to tears by the loyalty of his subordinates. "You...you guys...okay then! We'll start a restaurant together!"

"You need money to start a restaurant, you know," Ukyou interrupted, somewhat irritated by how easy they made the restaurant idea sound. "Not to mention you need to look presentable to appeal to customers. If you want to run a restaurant, you guys need to clean your image up a bit. First of all, you all need haircu-"

"Why are you staring at me like that?!"

After her sudden outburst, everyone looked over at Kodachi and noticed that she was glaring at a portly looking bald man among the group of delinquents.

The man seemed unshaken by the gymnast's fierce attitude as he placed his hand on his chin and continued looking at her. "I've seen you somewhere before, but...hmm...umm, what's your name, lady?"

"I have no reason to tell someone like you!" the Black Rose snapped back at him angrily.

Not willing to give up yet, the delinquent pulled a book out of the back pocket of his pants and began paging through it.

"Ahh, I almost forgot Metal had ya keep track of her competition," the leader said, peeking over at his subordinate's book. "You know this chick?"

"Maybe...was it in one of the EGF tournaments, I wonder?" he said, continuing to look through his information collection until he came upon one page that caught his eye. "Ah, here! Look!"

The leader set his eyes on a picture that the portly delinquent was pointing to. "Kodachi Kuno? Hey hey, it is her..."

Curious about what they'd found, Ukyou and Akane stared over at the dark-haired gymnast, who had a look on her face that could kill at the moment. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that her temper was about to boil over.

"I knew I'd seen her before," the plump man laughed. "She was in the EGF's tournament three years ago, but she never came back after that. Let's see, she got to the quarterfinals, but...hey, how about that! Of all people, it looks like she got knocked out by Ki-ghhhh!"

The delinquent found himself unable to breathe as a ribbon wrapped around his throat from out of nowhere.

"Hey! What's your deal?!" the delinquent leader yelled at Kodachi.

"H-hey, Kodachi! What's wrong with you?!" Akane shouted at her enraged rival.

With a glare as cold as ice in her eyes, the Black Rose slowly raised her head and leered forward at the bald man being suffocated by her ribbon.

"Do not ever utter that odious name in front of me. I...I did not lose! Did you even see the match?! Did you?!"

Kodachi's eyes widened when an object suddenly severed her ribbon, causing the delinquent to fall back to the ground gasping for air. Glancing to her left, Kodachi then eyed Ukyou furiously. "Why are you interfering?!"

"Because they didn't do anything to you! Calm down!" Ukyou snapped, standing ready to defend herself with her giant spatula in hand.

Helping his comrade to his feet, one of the delinquents turned to the man with the green mohawk looking panicked. "Boss, these girls are just as scary as those two from earlier! Let's get out of here!"

"Y-yeah, let's go..." the leader agreed, not wanting to put himself or his subordinates in any further danger after what they'd already endured at the hands of Ranma and Shampoo.

While the ragged-looking men moved to the side of the girls and hurried away, Akane and Ukyou looked unsure what to do about Kodachi, who had a troubled expression on her face as she looked down toward the ground.

"You okay?" Akane finally asked her.

With a pained look in her eyes, the Black Rose shrugged off her rival's concern and began trudging forward along the street. "It is none of your business."

Ukyou could only shake her head as she put her spatula away. "I think she's finally lost it, Akane."

"I don't think she ever had it to begin with," Akane replied, watching as Kodachi stumbled down the quiet road. "We can't just leave her like that though..."

Sighing to herself, Ukyou slowly began moving forward alongside her classmate.

"I guess not. Let's go."

* * *

"Enjoy yourselves!"

Once one of the workers slammed the door shut, the gondola carrying Ranma and Shampoo began its rise into the night sky as the ferris wheel started to turn again.

"Guess we didn't have to rush here after all," Ranma said.

As it turned out, the ferris wheel was open until midnight, so they made it there with plenty of time to spare. The fee of 900 yen per person was easily covered by Ranma, who had more than enough money left over from what Ringo had lent him earlier in the day. And although Shampoo seemed pleasantly surprised that he was paying for everything, she hadn't once questioned where he'd gotten the money from.

"Maybe should have taken time teaching those stupid ones lesson, yes?" Shampoo laughed, the rainbow of lights from the ferris wheel shining on her hair from the back of the gondola.

"Yeah, that was kinda fun," Ranma replied with a grin. "But, y'know, I'm surprised you were so sharp. I thought ya might be rusty since the old hag's been gone."

"Oh, that no is problem," the Amazon girl told him. "Shampoo find very fast training partner."

Ranma turned and gave her a curious look, wondering who she was talking about. "No way...you convince Ucchan to help ya or somethin'? It couldn't be Kodachi..."

Shampoo shook her head as she looked over at him. "Is Ringo, silly."

"Ringo?!" the pigtailed boy exclaimed, looking shocked. "How'd you pull that off?! I heard she wouldn't even train with Akane while we were gone..."

"That right?" Shampoo blinked, seemingly unaware that it was that big of a deal. "Shampoo just ask nice is all."

Scratching his head for a moment, Ranma couldn't help wondering to himself why his former female half made a special exception to train with Shampoo.

"Ah well, it don't matter I guess," he said, turning his attention back to his lavender-haired friend. "Why'd you jump in when I was fightin' those guys anyway? I wasn't in trouble or nothin'."

"Just want some fun too, like say before," Shampoo answered. "And..."

The Amazon girl's expression became more serious as she hesitated, drawing a strange look from her date. "Even though Great-Grandmother necklace supposed to work..."

Letting out a brief, almost inaudible sigh, Ranma flicked his finger against the jade necklace around his neck. "That thing's still buggin' ya, huh? It ain't a problem anymore, so don't worry about it."

With the gondola rising higher into the sky and giving the two teenage martial artists a nice view of the surrounding Tokyo area, Shampoo wrapped her arm around Ranma's and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

"When Ranma fight Mousse and lose control, it scare Shampoo lot," she said softly, tightening her hold on his arm. "It feel like Ranma go to place far away where Shampoo no can reach."

Ranma wasn't keen on people being concerned for him, but he had to admit that Shampoo's analogy wasn't too far off. The time when the spirits from Yanlou resting inside him took control during his battle with Mousse was something that his memory had been hazy on since the incident. Had Cologne not intervened, there was no telling whether or not he would have been able to revert back to his normal self. Thankfully though, that wasn't the case. And the necklace the old woman had placed on him seemed to work perfectly for the time being. So, to him at least, it wasn't a problem worth mentioning.

"You worry too much," he told the Amazon girl, gazing out at the lights of Tokyo. "Check it out, you can see Tokyo Tower from here."

Shampoo stared out at the lit up tower for a moment, her eyes following Ranma's hand as he pointed out other notable sights.

"You can see the Rainbow Bridge we crossed comin' here too," the pigtailed boy added.

"It look like big rainbow going over water," Shampoo said to him.

"Well yeah, that's why it's called the Rainbow Bridge," Ranma replied.

The two of them sat quietly for a couple of minutes as their gondola reached the peak of the ferris wheel, giving them the best view possible before Ranma spoke again.

"Y'know, I'm glad I got there in time to stop your wedding," he told his lavender-haired friend. "Otherwise I mighta never come here."

Shampoo uttered a slight gasp as she looked up at her date. Words like that were rare coming from him, but that made them mean all the more when he happened to say them. With a warm feeling in her heart, the Amazon girl rested her head against Ranma's shoulder again and smiled.

"Shampoo glad you stop wedding too, Ranma."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Tokyo far from the happenings taking place on the island of Odaiba, a middle-aged woman began humming to herself while checking over a kimono she'd hung up the other day.

"My, it certainly has been a while since I've paid a visit to the Tendo family," she said aloud. "It's always nice to see the girls, but I do wish I'd get to see my son one of these times."

Satisfied with the state of her kimono, the kind-hearted Nodoka Saotome gazed up at the ceiling of her bedroom and clasped her hands to her chest.

"Somehow, I have a very good feeling about this time though," she said, smiling with an unfounded but sustained hope that she would be able to see her son at last.

"I'm sure you'll be there when I come to visit tomorrow, Ranma! I can't wait to see you!"

* * *

In the late hours of the evening, a relatively small number of people walked off of a train and stepped foot on the grounds of the Nerima Ward. Those people included three dejected-looking teenage girls. Tired and irritable, they headed for the station's exit wishing this disastrous night would come to a merciful end.

"In the end, we never found them..." Ukyou mumbled, slumped over from the exhaustion of running around the island of Odaiba for hours.

"Mmhmm," Akane quietly responded.

Letting out a deep sigh, the okonomiyaki chef stared forward at Kodachi, who still seemed deeply bothered by something while walking silently in front of her two rivals. "We had to look after this pain in the fanny all night too..."

Annoyed by her classmate's continuous complaining, the young Tendo daughter leaned over and put her mouth next to Ukyou's ear. "This is why I said we should have gone home, you know."

"Rub it in some more why don'tcha?" Ukyou hissed back at her.

After the girls had left the train station, Ukyou began stretching her arms and let out a loud yawn, ready to call it a night.

"Well, it's been fun," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If it's alright with you though, I'm just gonna forget tonight ever happened. Night Aka-oof!"

Without any warning, Kodachi had come to a stop in front of the surprised okonomiyaki chef, causing her to bump her face into the back of the gymnast's head.

"What in the heck is with you tonight?!" Ukyou snarled while holding her sore nose.

Kodachi clenched her fists tightly as she thought about the possibilities, unlikely though they may be, of what her darling Ranma might have been subjected to on his date with Shampoo.

"I shall not return to my estate until I know what that hussy did with my Ranma-darling!" she shouted with anger. "I will find out what took place even if I must storm that woman's restaurant!"

Before anyone could convince her otherwise, the focused gymnast took off running in the general direction of the Cat Café with blazing speed.

"H-hey!" Ukyou shouted fruitlessly at her upset rival. "Now I'm sure she's lost it, Akane. Totally lost it."

"I don't care anymore," Akane grumbled in response. "Let her do what she wants. We're done."

The two of them continued walking, but, much to Akane's surprise, her classmate stopped again after only a matter of seconds.

Ukyou was shaking for a moment while contemplating what she wanted to do. Torn between going home having accomplished nothing and risking making the night even worse, she finally gave in and took off running after the Black Rose.

"The things I do for you, Ranma-honey!" she screamed, leaving Akane all by herself.

"Oh, come on! Not again!" Akane yelled out in frustration. This was getting ridiculous, she thought bitterly. She'd had enough of this wild goose chase hours ago and wanted nothing more than to go home and get cozy in her bed right now. But, on the other hand, she also hated being left out of things. And if Ukyou and Kodachi found out something and she wasn't there to hear it...

"This is so STUPID!"

Somewhat ashamed of herself for not being able to resist the urge, Akane got her legs moving again and took off running toward Shampoo's restaurant behind the other two girls.

* * *

Underneath the glow of the streetlights, Ranma and Shampoo headed home through the Nerima Ward night after their long and adventurous date. It was already past 11 o' clock in the evening and Ranma had a feeling that certain people at the Tendo home were getting annoyed by now that he still wasn't back.

"Aiyaa, is so late," Shampoo said, placing her hand over her mouth as she let out a small yawn.

"Yeah, didn't think this would take so long," Ranma replied.

"Oh? Ranma no like spend so much time with Shampoo?" the Amazon girl asked, eying him sharply.

Noticing the look Shampoo was giving him, Ranma nervously tried to explain himself. "N-no, it ain't like that..!"

The pigtailed boy relaxed a bit when Shampoo began giggling to herself.

"Is just joke, Ranma," she laughed.

Feeling embarrassed, Ranma placed his hands behind his head and let out a grunt as he walked. "Jeez, don't mess with me like that..."

"Oh, no get mad now," Shampoo said to him, smiling as she adjusted the purse over her shoulder. "Ranma have fun tonight?"

"Yeah, it was kinda fun," he answered, thinking back on everything they'd done. "Saw the first gymnastics match I ever enjoyed and I got to see what Odaiba was like."

"And no forget we teach stupid punks lesson they never forget," the Amazon girl added with a devilish smile.

"That was the best part," Ranma grinned, thrusting his fist into the air.

Shampoo had been worried beforehand that Ranma might get bored, but she was feeling more confident now that she knew he'd enjoyed himself on their date. It was exactly what she needed to convince herself to try to move things along between them.

"Maybe...we go on date again?" Shampoo asked, looking hopefully over at Ranma to gauge his reaction.

At first glance, Ranma seemed hesitant to answer. It was something that Shampoo didn't take as a good sign.

"Not that it ain't fun, but...two friends goin' out on dates kinda gives people the wrong idea, don'tcha think?"

The word "friends" struck Shampoo like a stake to her heart. She'd hoped that they might be able to move beyond that after everything that had happened between them, but evidently that wasn't the case. With her hopes dashed, she tilted her head toward the ground as a sad smile crossed her face.

"That right. We just friends is all..." she said, the despair easily heard in her voice.

"Well, yeah..." Ranma replied, curious about Shampoo's change in attitude. "Ain't that what you said you wanted?"

The deflated Amazon girl didn't answer, continuing to move forward with her eyes focused on the ground.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two martial artists for several minutes until finally they came upon the Cat Café restaurant.

"Well, guess I should probably get goin'," Ranma began to say, but he could tell that Shampoo looked like she wanted badly to say something. "First though, you tell me what's wrong."

Taking a deep breath, Shampoo folded her hands together and slowly raised her head to look at her pigtailed friend. "Ranma...you remember what Shampoo tell you on roof long time ago?"

Ranma scratched his head as he tried to remember what she was talking about. "You mean when you said you wanted to be friends?"

"And that still want to marry Ranma, but wait for you to open heart to Shampoo," she added, clutching her hands tightly. "Ranma...what more have to do to make you love Shampoo?"

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts found himself short of words as he saw tears beginning to form in the lavender-haired girl's eyes. "I...uh-"

"We go through so much, Ranma!" Shampoo cried, finally losing hold of her emotions. "We risk lives together to beat Li and Meilin! Then Shampoo no see you for many months...and then you busy finish school for long time, so no see you much again...!"

"S-Shampoo..." Ranma mouthed, not sure what to say.

"Ranma even stop Shampoo marriage!" her voice shook, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "You still want say you no have feeling for Shampoo?!"

"Look! I just...I don't know yet, alright?!" Ranma told her.

"Then how long have to wait?! We almost die when Li and Meilin come here! What if that happen again?!" Shampoo asked him sternly, raising one hand to wipe the tears from her face. "We no have forever, Ranma..."

He hated thinking about it, but Ranma understood what Shampoo was trying to tell him. He'd been avoiding the issue of his multiple fiancées from the very beginning. There were any number of reasons he did it, but the fact was that he was still leading all of them on in the process. Whether that was his fault for being indecisive or their fault for expecting too much from him, either way it was going to end with someone being hurt, and Ranma hated that.

"Shampoo...sorry. No mean to yell at Ranma like that," the Amazon girl said, wiping the tears from her face again. "Shampoo no bother you any more. Ranma can go home."

Shampoo immediately turned around and started walking toward the door to her restaurant, but Ranma didn't want to leave her upset like this. Not even sure himself what he was doing, he ran up and tried to stop her.

"Hey, wait a sec, will ya?"

"No worry about it. Just go home now," Shampoo told him.

"Come on..." Ranma pleaded, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Still visibly upset, Shampoo swatted Ranma's hand away and continued walking with tears streaming down her face. "Shampoo say no!"

The emotional teenager quickly reached into her purse and grabbed the key to her restaurant. She wanted to get away from Ranma now before she said anything else she might regret.

Shampoo reached forward to slide the key into the lock, but was suddenly spun around by the man she wanted so desperately to get away from. Her wrist pinned to the door by his good arm, she looked up at him and growled angrily.

"What you do-mmf!"

The Amazon girl's eyes widened with shock as Ranma leaned in and pressed his lips up against hers. With tears still running down her cheeks, her arm relaxed, allowing her purse to fall to the ground. She wasn't imagining it, she realized. Ranma...he was really kissing her.

Her frustration slipping away, Shampoo slowly closed her eyes and wrapped her free arm around the pigtailed boy's neck, pulling him closer. They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity, enveloped in the moonlight without a care in the world as they held each other.

When Ranma broke the kiss and opened his eyes, he and Shampoo could only stare at each other. Their breathing was heavy. Their hearts were racing.

Ranma couldn't believe what he'd just done. He wanted her to stop and listen to him, but he hadn't planned on kissing her like that. It was just a sudden reaction he'd made. So now what was he supposed to do, he thought frantically?

Shampoo was still so surprised that she couldn't think straight, but at that moment she happened to notice something out of the corner of her eye. Peering over Ranma's shoulder, she froze at what she saw before her.

Noticing the expression on the Amazon girl's face, Ranma slowly turned around to see what she was staring at. As he soon realized, he and Shampoo weren't alone.

Underneath a nearby streetlight stood Kodachi, Ukyou, and Akane, all of them in utter disbelief at what they'd just seen.

"R-Ranma darling...you...you kissed her...!" Kodachi's voice shook.

"You guys..." he gasped, a look of pure dread coming over him. "What are you-"

"Ran-chan..." Ukyou said, taking notice of the fact that Shampoo had Ranma's jacket tied around her waist as she clutched one hand to her chest, "she used some kind of potion on you, right? Or made you eat something funny? Right...?"

Ranma turned to Shampoo for some sort of answer, but she had no idea what to say. He couldn't accuse her of anything to save himself right now, he thought. He couldn't do anything but tell the truth.

"No..." he told them, averting his eyes from the girls. "She didn't do nothin'. I just...kissed her."

The gymnast and okonomiyaki chef staggered backwards, unable to bear the words that Ranma had just uttered.

The shock was so great to Kodachi that she couldn't speak. Her heart broken into pieces, she gingerly turned around and began stumbling down the street away from the restaurant without a word.

"H-hey..." Ukyou said, watching with concern as the Black Rose took her leave.

It was then that Akane, who hadn't budged since seeing her fiancée kiss Shampoo, slowly began walking toward the two of them.

"Akane..." Ranma said, his voice filled with concern.

He and Shampoo could only watch as the youngest Tendo daughter moved closer and closer to them. Throughout every step her expression remained blank. There wasn't a hint of surprise on her face, nor of anger.

Finally, she came face-to-face with Ranma, tilting her head up and looking him directly in the eyes.

Ranma looked back at her worriedly, unsure if there was anything he could even say right now to fix this. "A-Akane...I..."

At that moment, Akane's face suddenly lit up with anger and resentment like she'd never shown before. Reaching back, she angrily slapped Ranma across the face, the sound of her palm striking his cheek echoing throughout the Nerima night.

"I HATE YOU!!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 22**


	23. Departure

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 23**

Outside the doors of the Cat Café restaurant, the end of the date between he and Shampoo was unfolding into a nightmare for Ranma Saotome.

Time seemed to stop for a brief moment when Akane slapped him across the face, turning his head to the side and nearly knocking him over from the sheer force of the blow.

Akane stood before her fiancée seething, shaking with anger. She'd never felt so furious in her life. After everything she'd been through with Ranma, she at least trusted him not to do anything with any of the other girls who were after him. But he had, and he'd done it with the one she disliked most of all.

Shampoo, who'd been standing behind Ranma, still stunned by his sudden kiss, was quickly snapped out of her trance at the moment her rival slapped her friend. She'd seen it happen numerous times before, but she wasn't going to stand for it this time.

"What you doing?!" she yelled, reaching out to grab Akane by the collar of her jacket.

The fiery Amazon girl wouldn't get her chance to do anything, however, as Ranma stuck his good arm out to hold her back.

"You let go, Ranma! Shampoo no let Akane do that...!" Shampoo protested, trying to fight her way past him.

Slowly, Ranma turned and looked over to Shampoo with a calm, yet pained expression on his face that was powerful enough to neutralize her raging emotions. With Akane's palm mark still visible on his cheek, he then shook his head, implying to her that it wasn't necessary.

"It's fine, Shampoo," he said quietly, turning his attention back to the dark-haired girl in front of him.

"You..." Akane's voice shook as she stared directly into his eyes, "I thought it was weird you were with each other so much after you got back. You were always smiling around her too. You never used to be like that..."

"Akane..."

"Shut up!" she cried out, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "I know...I shouldn't be surprised. You were together in China for such a long time, it's only natural you'd fall for each other. And she's just so much better than me, isn't she? She's better looking, she can cook, and she's a better martial artist..."

"It ain't about that!" Ranma interrupted.

"Then what is it?!" Akane screamed back at him. She wanted some kind of answer, any answer, but Ranma just didn't have one for her right now.

Unsure what to tell her, Ranma silently averted his eyes from his fiancée and tilted his head toward the ground.

The pigtailed boy's response seemed to change Akane's anger into pure heartbreak as she broke down crying in front of him.

"I...I trusted you..." she uttered, weeping uncontrollably.

Akane couldn't take anymore. Feeling sick and betrayed, she hastily spun around and took off running from the restaurant, leaving a trail of tears behind her as she vanished into the night.

Ranma wasn't feeling too good about himself right now, to say the least, but this nightmare scenario wasn't over yet. Still standing underneath a nearby streetlight was Ukyou, who looked incredibly torn as she tried to gaze directly at her childhood friend without turning away.

"Ucchan..." Ranma mouthed, trying to think of something he could say to comfort her.

"Ran-chan...I-" Ukyou began to say, trembling as she cut herself off. She wanted to talk to him so badly. She wanted to ask him how he really felt. Everything that she'd just witnessed was too overwhelming for her though, and she just couldn't bring herself to say anything else.

Clenching her fists with frustration, Ukyou slammed one of her hands into the light post next to her, leaving a noticeable dent in it as she, too, fled the scene as quickly as she could manage.

With only he and Shampoo left standing outside the restaurant, Ranma crouched down near the ground and ran a hand through his hair, trying to take in everything that had just happened.

Behind him, Shampoo could only look down at her grief-stricken friend with concern. "Ranma..."

"Sorry," the pigtailed boy said, his eyes still fixated on the ground. "I...I really didn't want things to happen like that."

Taking a deep breath, Ranma slowly stood back up and peered over his shoulder at the lavender-haired girl.

"I...gotta go," he said, starting to walk away as he turned forward again. "I'll see ya, Shampoo."

Just like that, their date was over.

Quietly, Shampoo watched Ranma head down the street, leaning back against the door to the Cat Café while he disappeared from sight. She and Ranma had fun together all night, and so many good things happened, she thought.

Shampoo brushed her fingers against her lips, remembering how Ranma had kissed her. And even better was the fact that all three of her rivals for him had seen it. It was the perfect scenario.

All things considered, she should have felt like she was on top of the world. So, why was it, Shampoo wondered, that she felt so awful right now?

* * *

Over at the Tendo residence, things were mostly quiet as everyone had turned in for the night and gone to bed. Everyone except for the redhead sitting at the bottom of their staircase, that is, who was kicking her legs up into the air to try to alleviate some of her boredom.

"They sure are staying out late..." Ringo Saotome said with a light yawn.

Despite how late it had gotten, she was determined to wait near the door until Ranma and Akane came home. It certainly wasn't something she needed to do, but it was something she wanted to do nonetheless.

Even Ringo's will power couldn't keep her awake forever though, as she leaned back against the staircase and began to doze off.

"It's no good," she yawned again, her eyes beginning to feel heavy. "I'm so...tired..."

The sudden sound of the front door sliding open woke Ringo right up, however. Surprised and a bit startled, she opened her eyes wide and sat up straight to see who had just come home.

"Akane!" she spoke, standing up as she watched her friend shut the door behind her. "Welcome home!"

The youngest Tendo daughter didn't respond, standing completely still with her back up against the door and her head tilted downward.

"Um...s-sorry about earlier," Ringo continued, worrying that Akane was still upset with her. "I should have told you I was helping Shampoo train, but I was afraid you'd be mad about it. I'm really sorry!"

Slowly, Akane pulled herself away from the door and began walking over to Ringo.

The red-haired girl gave her friend a concerned look, still unsure what to make of her behavior as she came closer to her. But when she noticed a pair of teardrops falling to the floor, everything began to make a little more sense. "Akane, what happened?!"

Seeking some measure of comfort, Akane planted her face against Ringo's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her tightly as both of them collapsed to the floor.

"Akane..." Ringo said softly, holding her sobbing friend close to her chest.

"I...I never should have trusted a boy..." Akane whimpered.

Realizing that Kasumi's premonition earlier may have come true after all, Ringo closed her eyes and gently patted Akane's back.

"There, there. Let it all out."

* * *

Meanwhile, over at his clinic, Dr. Tofu sat at his desk in his undershirt and pajama bottoms, reading through a recently published medical journal he'd received in the mail. The entire building was dark except for the one lamp he was using to help him read.

Reaching up and rubbing his eyes, Tofu reluctantly closed the book and set it down on his desk.

"Okay, that's my limit for tonight," he told himself. His thirst for knowledge was as strong as ever, but he knew as well as anyone that the human body needs rest to keep going.

The young doctor was about to turn off his lamp, but a sudden loud knocking at his door stopped him.

"Goodness, a visitor at this time of night?"

Surprised by the uncommon occurrence, Tofu headed toward the clinic entrance and flipped on the light, hearing the knocking at his door once again.

"I'm coming. Just a moment," he called out.

Once Tofu unlocked his door and slid it open, he found a very familiar young man standing in his doorway. "Ranma?"

"Uh...hey," the pigtailed boy greeted him.

"Well, this is unusual," Tofu said, adjusting his glasses. "What can I do for you? Are you injured?"

"Nah, just the same old broken arm," Ranma replied, trying to manage a smile.

Tofu narrowed his eyes as he looked at his visitor, noticing how visibly troubled he appeared to be. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah...kinda," Ranma answered him. "I...uh...thought I could use someone to talk to, and I wasn't sure where else to go..."

It was rare to see Ranma looking like this, so Tofu had no doubt that something serious had happened to the boy. With a kind smile, he raised his hand into the air and stepped aside.

"Say no more," he told him. "Come on in and take a seat. I'll make some tea for us."

"Thanks, Doc," Ranma said as he entered the clinic.

While Tofu went to heat up some water for the tea, Ranma slumped into one of the chairs in the waiting room, still shaken by what had happened earlier outside the Cat Café.

"By the way, how is that arm of yours?" Dr. Tofu asked him as he walked.

"Feelin' better every day, actually," Ranma told him optimistically. "Still ain't supposed to be perfect for another month, but it ain't hurtin' much anymore."

"I see. That's good to hear," Tofu smiled.

The young doctor came back a short time later with two hot cups of tea in hand and handed one to his visitor as he took a seat next to him.

"So, tell me what happened."

After taking a sip of his tea, Ranma looked down at the cup in his hands and thought back on the events that night.

"I...had a date with Shampoo tonight," he explained. "It was somethin' I promised her back when we were in China, and she wanted to go to this thing over at Odaiba tonight, so we went."

"Ah yes, Odaiba. I've been there once before. It's quite a lively place," Tofu said. "Go on."

"Yeah, well...when we got back and I was walkin' her home, she brought up the whole..."friends" thing, and she got kinda upset," Ranma continued, staring blankly at his tea as he tried to recall exactly what happened next. "And then...I didn't want everything to end like that, so I tried to stop her, but she kept tryin' to go inside. So...I dunno what I was thinkin', Doc, but...I spun her around and I...kissed her..."

Dr. Tofu turned and eyed Ranma closely. He knew well of the pigtailed boy's fiancée situation, and also how fond the other girls, namely Akane, had grown of him.

"So...the kiss is what's troubling you?" Tofu asked.

Ranma shook his head in response.

"That ain't all," he said, placing his forehead in his palm. "I...I swear I didn't know they were there, but...Ukyou, Kodachi, and Akane...they all saw me kiss her."

"Oh, dear," Tofu sighed, placing his cup down next to him. "I take it they didn't react well."

Ranma shook his head again, prompting Dr. Tofu to lean back in his chair.

"With a situation like yours, I suppose it was inevitable for someone to get hurt eventually. But for everything to happen like that...it's very unfortunate," Tofu said in a somber voice. "Poor Akane...I can only imagine how upset she must be."

"See for yourself," Ranma muttered, pointing to the palm mark on his cheek. "I just...I dunno what to do, Doc."

Tofu nodded knowingly, peering over at his longtime patient. "Ranma, just how do you feel about Shampoo?"

Scratching his head, the young martial artist thought hard about the doctor's question for a moment.

"I...we've been gettin' along good ever since she said she wanted to be friends," Ranma replied, hunching over in his seat. "And...I never really thought of bein' more than that since then. Akane was sayin' earlier that she always saw me smilin' when I was with Shampoo, but I never noticed..."

"Mmhmm," Tofu nodded again. "Kissing someone isn't a common way of getting a friend to stop and listen to you, Ranma."

"Grrr, I know...!" Ranma growled with frustration.

Trying to get him to relax, Tofu reached over and put his hand on the troubled teenager's shoulder.

"Listen, I have no idea what you must be going through right now, Ranma. One thing that's for certain though is that nothing you say or do will likely mend what's been done to the other girls right away," Dr. Tofu told him. "But what I think you need to do, Ranma, is to sit down and sort out your feelings, especially how you feel about Shampoo."

The pigtailed martial artist took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat as he looked over at the young doctor again. "Doc, you're gettin' married to Kasumi, right? How did ya know that...y'know...she was the one?"

Tofu immediately blushed at the mention of his bride-to-be. "Uh, well! I...I guess I always felt a bit strange when I saw her. My heart would start beating faster and I'd get a little nervous, things like that. But most of all, I think I just knew because I was always happy whenever she was around."

Ranma had never really pondered or paid attention to what made him happy before, he thought to himself. What Dr. Tofu was saying made sense though. The person who he felt the happiest around...it may have been a key to figuring out this dilemma he found himself stuck with.

"Happy, huh..."

* * *

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts left Dr. Tofu's clinic later that night feeling a bit more calm after having talked things over, but without any of the answers he really needed. Those, he knew, he would have to come up with on his own.

Walking home with his hand stuffed in his pocket, Ranma was quiet and deep in thought about his next move. He didn't want to think about what things would be like the next time he ran into Ukyou or Kodachi, and he really, really didn't want to think about what would happen when he ran into Akane tomorrow morning. Not that he'd mind if Kodachi decided to keep her distance, but he didn't want to have Ukyou or Akane mad at him like this. Ucchan was his oldest friend, and Akane...well, although they fought a lot, he still liked her and enjoyed being around her.

And then there was the issue of Shampoo.

Ranma began to slow a bit as he walked, thinking back on everything that had happened lately with his lavender-haired friend. He'd never thought much about the relationship the two of them had until Dr. Tofu had brought it up with him earlier. They got along well as friends, better than he ever could have imagined, in fact. But was that the extent of their bond? Shampoo had made it clear that she wanted it to be more than that, but what about him? Sure, he'd put a stop to Shampoo's wedding without a second thought, and he was the one that initiated the kiss between them tonight. But doing things like that didn't mean that he...loved Shampoo. Did it?

Still unsure about many things, Ranma reached the Tendo household and cautiously strolled up to the door. He could only hope that Akane had already gone to bed for the night as he slowly slid the door open and peeked inside.

What the pigtailed boy found waiting for him wasn't Akane, luckily, but rather his former female half sitting at the bottom of the staircase with her head leaning up against the wall.

Looking mentally exhausted, Ringo didn't move at all as she shifted her gaze over toward the door. "Ranma..."

He couldn't be sure what happened, but Ranma had a fairly accurate idea of how things had gone down. "Hey. How is she?"

"Akane...she finally cried herself to sleep," Ringo said, taking a deep breath and staring blankly at the door again. "I've never seen her like that before, Ranma..."

Ranma knew what she meant, having seen Akane run away in tears earlier. "Sorry ya had to go through that, Ringo."

"It's okay," the redhead replied, shaking her head. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything's...going to be okay, right?"

"Somehow, yeah," Ranma told her. He hoped, at least.

Even as the pigtailed boy lay in bed that night, he wasn't sure of that. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring.

Ranma continued to toss and turn, trying to will himself to sleep, when he began to hear the faint sound of footsteps coming from the hallway. Slowly, they came closer and closer until he was positive that someone had stopped outside the door to he and his father's room.

"Akane...?" he uttered almost inaudibly.

Several seconds passed before the person turned around and walked back through the hallway and down the stairs, their footsteps sounding further and further away until Ranma couldn't hear them any longer.

Rubbing his forehead, Ranma turned over in his futon and closed his eyes again. Now wasn't the best time, he figured. He would try to talk to Akane tomorrow after she had a chance to calm down.

* * *

The dining area of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki was always dark and quiet after business hours, but on this night a soft sniffling sound could be heard from within the building as the owner of the business sat on one of the stools with her face buried in her arms on top of the counter.

Ukyou Kuonji felt as though she'd been blindsided by a dump truck after watching her fiancée pin one of her rivals up against the door to the Cat Café and kiss her. The fact that Ranma and Shampoo had grown closer than they were before the China incident was obvious, but she never could have imagined that Ranma would make such a forceful move as what she witnessed. Thoughts of where she went wrong and where to go from here filled the okonomiyaki chef's mind, but mulling over those questions wasn't doing her any good at the moment. Right now, all she wanted was to finally fall asleep, and maybe, just maybe, she would wake up tomorrow and find out everything that had happened was all just a bad dream.

Even as she heard the unexpected sound of her restaurant's door sliding open, Ukyou didn't budge at first, simply not caring who it was or why anyone would be entering the building so late at night. Her curiosity would get the better of her, however, as she slowly turned her head to see who it was.

There, standing in the doorway with the moonlight shining behind her, was Akane Tendo. Her eyes were still red and her cheeks puffy from crying herself to sleep earlier. What really stood out about her, though, was that she had a backpack strapped to her back as she eyed her classmate closely.

"Akane..." Ukyou muttered, wiping the tears from her face. "What are you-"

"I'm leaving," Akane told her. There was no hesitation in her voice whatsoever.

Sniffling again, Ukyou managed to sit herself upright as she peered over at the youngest Tendo daughter. "Leaving?"

Akane nodded. "I can't stay here anymore."

"You're gonna run away from everything?" the okonomiyaki chef asked her.

"I'm not going to stay here and watch Ranma and that tramp anymore!" Akane hissed, her fists shaking with anger as the tears began forming in her eyes again. "They can have each other! I'm sick and tired of it! Everything!"

It wasn't like Ukyou didn't understand Akane's feelings, but it was clear to her that she wasn't acting rational at the moment.

"I...look, I know, Akane. You're not thinking, though," Ukyou said, trying to calm her down. "Where would you go?"

"Anywhere! Anywhere but here!" Akane yelled in response.

"Akane-"

Before Ukyou could say anything else, Akane quickly stormed forward and slammed her palm against the counter.

"Don't try to talk me out of this, Ukyou! I'm going!" she declared with a firm resolve. Then, as she looked down at her classmate, the wild look in her eyes began to soften slightly.

"Just...come with me."

"Wh-what?" Ukyou asked, sounding confused.

"I said come with me," Akane repeated impatiently.

Despite how ludicrous it sounded to just up and leave town, the okonomiyaki chef couldn't help but consider the offer after everything that had happened. If there really was something going on between Ranma and Shampoo, things were going to be very awkward for her if she stayed. Ranma was her childhood friend, but would she actually be able to sit back and smile as his friend while knowing he was in a romantic relationship with another girl?

"I...I can't..." Ukyou stammered uncomfortably.

"Why not?!" Akane shouted.

"Ran-chan...he's the best friend I've got, Akane," Ukyou said, sounding very somber while leaning over the counter and resting her forehead on her hands. "I spent all those years trying to find him...I don't want to lose him again. And I've got my restaurant here, and friends...I-I just...I can't."

Biting down on her lip, Akane reluctantly conceded that there was no convincing Ukyou to go with her. "Fine..."

Ukyou raised her head and painfully watched her classmate turn and head toward the door.

"Don't go, Akane..." she pleaded.

There was no turning back now for the young Tendo girl, though. Ignoring the plea, she stepped outside the restaurant's door and grabbed onto it, turning back one last time to look at the torn okonomiyaki chef.

"Goodbye, Ukyou."

With that simple, yet meaningful line, Akane slid the door shut behind her and walked off into the night, leaving her friend and rival with yet another burden to deal with.

"She's...gone..." Ukyou gasped, trying to hold back her tears as she began to grasp the reality of what had just happened.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she collapsed onto the counter again, her muffled weeping the only sound in the room.

"Ran-chan...what should I do...?"

* * *

The next morning, Ranma Saotome awakened to the tranquil sound of birds chirping outside. As he slowly opened his eyes, however, the memories of the night before began coming back to the forefront of his mind. The peaceful sound of the birds was misleading, he thought, considering what was probably in store for him once he headed downstairs.

Reluctant to get up, Ranma closed his eyes again, intending to go back to sleep for a while. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance, as a quick swing from his father's foot knocked him out of his futon and sent him rolling along the floor.

"Oww! What was that for?!" Ranma snarled.

"What do you mean?! It's morning!" Genma responded sharply. "Get up, already! It's time for our workout!"

The pigtailed boy rubbed his hand against his forehead, looking completely devoid of the energy needed for their usual round of morning exercise. "I don't think I wanna go out there right now..."

"What are you talking about?" Genma asked, eying him curiously.

"WHAT?!"

The thunderous sound of Soun Tendo's cry echoed throughout the home, startling everyone.

"I knew it," Ranma groaned, no doubt in his mind that Soun's yelling meant trouble for him. "Today's gonna be a bad day."

Genma was incredibly confused about what was going on, but things would soon be clarified as he heard the loud sound of footsteps rapidly approaching.

Frantic for some sort of explanation, Soun slammed the door to the Saotome's room open and held out a piece of paper to the younger of the two.

"Ranma! What is this?! What happened?!" he shouted.

Kasumi and Ringo soon entered the room behind Soun, wondering what the commotion was all about.

"What's the matter, Father?" Kasumi asked him.

Nervously, Ranma grabbed the paper from Soun's hand and looked at it. The paper, he quickly realized, was a note from Akane.

_"I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore. Please don't worry about me. I'll come back someday, I promise. -Akane"_

"That IDIOT!" Ranma fumed, slamming the note down on the floor. "Why didn't she just talk to me?!"

Ringo looked to be in shock as she staggered backwards into the wall. "Akane...she...she's gone...?"

"Oh, Akane..." Kasumi said, sounding extremely worried. "Why would she do such a thing?"

Soun continued to stare a hole through Ranma. "Why, indeed! Mind explaining what this is all about, son?!"

The young martial artist had the attention of everyone in the room. Brushing his hair back, he let out a sigh and readied for another earful. "Last night...Kodachi, Ucchan, and Akane all saw me kiss Shampoo, and then Akane ran off cryin'."

"So that's it!" Soun yelled angrily. "Ranma, you go find my daughter right now and bring her back here!"

"Mr. Tendo, we don't know where she is, and I don't think she wants to see me right now anyway," Ranma told Akane's enraged father. "What could I possibly tell her that would make her come back?"

"Tell her you love her! Tell her that the kiss with Shampoo was just an accident! That she forced herself on you!" Soun shouted.

"Shampoo didn't do nothin', Mr. Tendo!" Ranma snapped back at him, stunning the others with the strength of his voice. "I...I was the one that kissed her. That ain't gonna change."

Genma was beginning to feel uncomfortable and walked over to his old friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Tendo. This isn't all the boy's fault."

"That's right, Father," Kasumi chimed in. "You can't just put all the blame on him like this."

Soun took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he looked down at Ranma again.

"Son...I think you should gather your belongings and leave."

There was an initial reaction of shock amongst the others in the room, but before any of them could raise a complaint, the head of the household turned and stormed off down the hallway.

"Father, wait...!" Kasumi pleaded as she went after him.

Ringo dropped to her knees in disbelief. Her peaceful life with her family and friends was being torn apart piece by piece, and that realization hurt her worse than anything. "No...why is this happening...?"

Ranma was a bit disheartened by the demand, but it didn't come as a complete surprise to him given the situation.

"Guess that's that, then," he muttered.

"I'll try talking to him, boy," Genma assured his son. "Don't wander off too far, alright?"

"Yeah," Ranma said softly. "Thanks, Pop."

The pigtailed martial artist wasted little time packing all of his clothes and other possessions into his backpack, and, without any guarantee of where he would stay, walked out the door of the Tendo residence that he'd called home for nearly two years.

Unsure where the future would take him, Ranma Saotome turned around one last time and bowed in front of the home before leaving.

"Thanks for everything, you guys."

* * *

**End of Chapter 23**


	24. More Than Friends?

**_A Midsummer Night's Beauty_, _Part I_  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

It was a fresh new day in the Nerima District of Tokyo and spirits were increasingly high amongst the residents. With Spring right around the corner and temperatures on the rise, the energy that everyone seemed to lose during the Winter season began to return to them once more.

Not even the warmth of the rising sun nor the sound of birds happily chirping away on this cool, late-March morning could wipe the scowl from the face of one Ranma Saotome though, who grouchily trudged along the pavement with his backpack strapped over his shoulders and his good hand stuffed firmly in his pocket.

"This is just great," he muttered to himself. "Akane ran off, I got kicked outta the house by Mr. Tendo, everyone's mad at me, and my STUPID ARM'S STILL BROKE!!"

Feeling a sudden need to vent, Ranma reached back with his good arm and drilled a hole through a nearby retaining wall to relieve some of his frustration.

"And it ain't my fault! None of it!"

As he looked up into the sky, he noticed a black bird tilting its head while watching him from atop a telephone pole. And so began a short-lived stare down, which ended with Ranma turning his head away in annoyance after only a matter of seconds.

"Fine, maybe it's a little bit my fault..." he grudgingly conceded before proceeding on his way.

It wasn't long after he'd resumed walking that he began hearing a high-pitched voice calling out to him from behind.

"Ranma! Ranma, wait!"

There wasn't any need for Ranma to turn around. He knew without looking that it was Ringo trying to catch up with him. With her red ponytail bouncing back and forth behind her, the panicked girl sped across the concrete in her pink waitressing dress until she was finally able to reach the pigtailed boy.

"Ranma...why didn't you wait...?!" Ringo complained, holding her chest while trying to catch her breath.

"Relax, will ya?" Ranma glanced over at her. "It's early in the morning and that yellin's like a needle in my ear."

The sour look on Ringo's face made it clear she didn't appreciate the comment much, but there were more important things to address with her former male half at the moment. "Ohh, Ranma-! What are we going to do about Akane?! And...and Mr. Tendo?! Where will you go? What will you do...?"

Ranma planted his hand over his face, trying desperately not to let Ringo's worrisome nature get to him. "You don't gotta worry about me, okay?! Chill out!"

"But...but..." the redhead protested.

"Pop's gonna talk to Mr. Tendo and see what he can do. He ain't great at this sorta thing, but since it's Mr. Tendo he's dealin' with, he might get him to let me stay there again," Ranma explained as they continued walking. "And Akane..."

Ringo could clearly see the pain in Ranma's eyes when he mentioned her friend's name.

"Akane...she'll come back," he finished. "And if she don't come back and we hear somethin' about her...well, then I'll go look for her. But I ain't gonna wander off and start searchin' when we don't even know which way she went. She ain't a kid anymore, Ringo. Leavin' was her decision."

"I...I suppose you're right," the troubled girl reluctantly said. "I just feel awful about this whole situation. I hope she's not gone for very long. I'll miss her too much..."

With an understanding nod, Ranma tilted his head down toward the ground and sighed. "Yeah..."

"So...what are you going to do now?" Ringo asked him.

Without any warning, Ranma came to a stop, causing Ringo to accidentally stumble over her own foot.

Lightly smacking his face a few times to mentally prepare himself, Ranma then turned to face the shop he'd stopped in front of. "Now I'm gonna try to fix the things I can actually do somethin' about."

Ringo hadn't even noticed where they were heading until now when she looked up at the sign above the shop that read, "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki."

"Oh, that's right...Ukyou..." she said with concern, remembering that Ukyou was with Akane last night.

With a calm demeanor, Ranma turned and peeked over his shoulder at his former female half. "You better get to work. Don't tell Shampoo about Akane leavin' or me gettin' kicked outta the house though."

"Umm...okay, but...why not?" she asked.

"'Cause I don't want her worryin' about it like you are," Ranma told her. "I'll come tell her 'bout it later, so don't let her know yet."

It was going to be tough keeping herself from letting Shampoo know what had taken place at the Tendo household this morning, but Ringo knew deep down that it probably would be best if Ranma let her know himself.

"Okay, I promise I won't tell her," Ringo agreed. "I'll see you later then, Ranma. Good luck!"

"Hey, Ringo...be careful."

Ringo, who'd already begun heading down the road, stopped and looked back to see what Ranma meant. "Hmm?"

The sharp-sensed Saotome looked back and forth over the surrounding area, eying it closely for anything that struck him as suspicious. "I've got this weird feelin' we're bein' watched. Just keep an eye out."

Blinking curiously, Ringo looked around briefly, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Still, Ranma was much better at picking up on things than she was, so she knew the warning was something worth taking to heart.

"Okay then," she replied, a bit nervous as she began walking away.

Once Ringo was gone, Ranma took one last look around to make sure there weren't any noticeable threats nearby. It wasn't as though he'd seen proof of someone following them. It was just a strange hunch he had. Nevertheless, it didn't seem like an issue for the time being.

"Just my imagination I guess," he said to himself, turning his attention back to the restaurant in front of him. "Well, here goes nothin'..."

Not sure how Ukyou might react when she saw him, Ranma carefully slid the door open a few inches and peeked inside to see what she was up to. As he soon noticed, there wasn't any need for caution. At least not at the moment.

Ukyou was fast asleep, seated on one of the stools with her head using her arms as a pillow on the counter. Her slow, rhythmic breathing and unchanging expression assured Ranma that he hadn't woken her up.

"Still sleepin', huh?" he whispered to himself as he quietly entered the restaurant and slid the door shut behind him. "Guess I can wait 'til she wakes up."

After slipping the backpack off of his shoulders, the pigtailed martial artist set it down on the floor and gently sat down on one of the stools at the end of the counter.

_*crack!*_

Much to his surprise, one of the legs on the stool he'd sat down on suddenly snapped, sending Ranma crashing to the ground and making a loud ruckus in the process.

"Oww..." he groaned, grabbing the back of his head. "Man...this really is gonna be a bad day..."

The noise caused by Ranma's stool mishap was more than enough to stir the sleeping okonomiyaki chef. Slowly raising her head up off the counter, Ukyou's eyes fluttered open as she began to search for the source of the disturbance.

"Mmm...ah...R-Ran-chan?!" she shrieked, looking around her restaurant in confusion after spotting her fiancée on the floor. "What time is it?!"

"Early," Ranma grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet. "What's with that stupid stool?"

"Hmm? It broke? That's weird," Ukyou sleepily replied. "I guess I fell asleep sitting here last night..."

It was only after running her hand over her hair that she realized just how much of a mess she probably was.

"NOOO! Don't look!"

Ranma quickly became alarmed when he saw Ukyou reaching for her giant spatula. "H-hey, wait a sec! Don't-!"

Unfortunately, the pleas were ineffective as the cook slammed her over-sized utensil into her fiancée, who went sailing across the room and into the wall.

Groaning in pain, Ranma fell to the ground and struggled mightily to push himself up again. "What...what was that for...?"

"For barging in without giving a girl time to prepare!" Ukyou shouted while brushing herself off and trying to straighten out her hair.

"Jeez...what's it matter?" Ranma grumbled. "It ain't like I care if your hair's a little messy..."

"But I DO!" the frantic girl cried.

After a few moments, the young Saotome managed to get to his feet again. At that time, however, he noticed that his old friend's demeanor had changed.

Ukyou's self-grooming began to slow more and more until finally she stopped. Letting her arms collapse into her lap, she averted her eyes from Ranma and tilted her head downward, not wanting to look at him.

"Ran-chan...what's going on with you and Shampoo?"

The question wasn't one Ranma was looking forward to, but he knew it was coming. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand in his pocket and leaned back against the counter.

"Honestly, I got no idea," he told her.

"No idea?" Ukyou asked, not convinced that it was the truth. "Ranma, you kissed her last night...and right in front of all of us..."

"It ain't like I knew you guys were there, y'know," Ranma was quick to point out. "As for the kiss, it just...kinda happened. I didn't plan on doin' it or nothin'."

Ukyou quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "Oh? You sure you didn't decide that she's the one you want?"

"Do I look like a guy that knows what he wants?" the young Saotome asked, shooting Ukyou a funny look.

After staring at the expression on his face for a few seconds, Ukyou couldn't help but giggle to herself a bit. "I guess not."

"That's how it is," Ranma said, scratching his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "Look, there's two things I'm sure of in life, Ucchan. First, my Pop's a moron. And second, I wanna be a strong martial artist. I don't know nothin' about all this romance junk and feelings and stuff..."

Ukyou didn't say anything, listening closely as she allowed her childhood friend to fully explain himself.

"But, y'know," Ranma added, "I think I'm gettin' a little closer to figurin' that stuff out."

As she peered over at him, Ukyou wasn't sure what to make of Ranma's words. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she happened to notice the item laying on her floor next to him.

"Hey, what's with the backpack?" she asked.

Ranma briefly looked down at the item in question. "Oh, that. Mr. Tendo kicked me outta the house 'cause Akane ran off."

"W-what?!" Ukyou gasped loudly, jumping out of her seat. "Akane! I forgot! She...she really left?"

Her reaction drew a curious stare from Ranma.

"Yeah...you know somethin' about it?"

Dejected, the okonomiyaki chef slumped back down onto her stool. "She came here last night and asked me to go with her. I told her not to go, but...I couldn't stop her. It's all my fault, Ranma. I'm sorry..."

"So...she stopped here before she left, huh?" Ranma asked, not sounding too surprised. "You're wrong though, it ain't your fault. You tried to stop her, didn't ya? She was gonna go no matter what, Ucchan. You couldn't have done nothin' else."

Ukyou just sat quietly, not even looking up at her friend.

"Jeez, you're startin' to get like Ringo," Ranma poked fun at her. "Don't worry about it, alright? She'll come back soon and everything'll be fine."

"Yeah..." she softly replied.

Even though Akane was technically her rival, they'd been together so much over the last year, whether in school or helping Ringo get acquainted with her new life, that Ukyou felt genuinely sad at the thought of her not being around. She could only hope that Ranma was right about it being a short-lived absence.

When she looked up, Ukyou saw that her visitor was putting his backpack on again.

"Where to now?" she asked him.

"Now...I'm gonna go to Shampoo's place and figure some things out," Ranma answered.

Amused by the response, Ukyou rested her chin on her palm and smirked a little. "Figure some things out, huh? Like how you feel about a certain Amazon friend of yours?"

"Maybe..." the pigtailed martial artist admitted, somewhat embarrassed as he spun around and faced the door.

With a kind smile, Ukyou hopped off of her stool and wrapped Ranma in a hug from behind.

"Ucchan?"

"No matter what happens, you'll always be my Ran-chan," Ukyou said to him. "If you go there and you decide she's not the one you want, I'll still be waiting right here for you. You could even stay here with me if Mr. Tendo doesn't want you back. I know how you feel about being a girl, but I could use a good waitress, y'know."

Ranma couldn't help but smile a bit at the offer. "Thanks, Ucchan. That makes me feel a whole lot better, actually."

Feeling content, Ukyou let go and gave him a little shove.

"Then get going, you."

Once he'd regained his balance, Ranma glanced over his shoulder at her one last time. "Yeah. I'll see ya later."

After watching her pigtailed friend leave and the door close behind him, Ukyou plopped down onto one of the stools again and quietly sighed to herself.

"Sometimes...I'm too nice for my own good..."

* * *

The atmosphere inside the Tendo household was unsettling at best as Genma, Kasumi, and a distraught Soun Tendo sat at the table looking out toward the garden. Soun had already phoned in a missing person report regarding Akane to the local authorities, but it may have been for naught since there was no telling just how far she'd already gone.

"Kasumi...where...where could my little girl have gone?" he sobbed with his face planted in the table.

"I don't know, Father," Kasumi replied sadly. "I do hope she's alright. I know she's grown up quite a bit, but still..."

"She's not that little of a girl anymore," Genma disagreed, trying to raise their spirits a bit. "She's old enough to take care of herself now. We shouldn't worry about it so much."

Unfortunately for Ranma's father, his encouraging words seemed to have the opposite effect on Soun, who was livid as he raised his head and slammed his palms down on the table. "How can I not worry about this, Saotome?! She's my daughter! And whose son was it that chased her off in the first place?!"

"Come on now, Tendo!" Genma shouted, not backing down from his old friend. "You remember what it was like being young! The boy's hormones got the best of him and he kissed another girl. It happens. So Akane went a little overboard-"

"So it's Akane's fault now, is it?!" Soun angrily yelled back at him.

"Please, you two. This isn't the time for fighting," Kasumi pleaded. Even her kindred spirit couldn't seem to ease the tension between the middle-aged men, though.

Then, the eldest Tendo daughter peeked over her shoulder, thinking she'd heard the faint sound of their front door sliding open.

"_Excuse me! Is anyone home?!_"

"I wonder who that could be..." Kasumi said as she stood up to go greet the visitor.

Ignoring the fact that they had a guest for the time being, Genma and Soun continued to glare dangerously at one another.

"I'm not saying it's anyone's fault, Tendo!" Genma explained to his friend. "The boy made a mistake. We all do. It doesn't mean he deserves to be kicked out on the street by himself..."

Soun eyed Genma sharply while quietly contemplating his opinion for a brief moment.

"You know, you're right, Saotome," Soun finally responded. "Perhaps you'd like to join him out on the street?"

The mere thought of being homeless again made Genma's face pale with dread. "Ahahaha...you're just joking, right, Tendo...?"

Before they could converse any further, Kasumi re-entered the room smiling brightly.

"Father, Mrs. Saotome has come to visit us," she announced.

While a loud splash could be heard coming from the koi pond, Nodoka Saotome stepped out from the hallway in her blue kimono and, with her wrapped sword in hand, bowed her head lightly to Soun.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Ranma's mother greeted him.

"N-no, not at all," Soun replied, obviously surprised by her presence.

The head of the Tendo household had a good idea what had happened to his friend, but he looked over to his right just to make sure. As expected, Genma was no longer there.

As Nodoka peered out at the garden, she spotted a very familiar animal sticking out of the koi pond.

"Hello there, Mr. Panda!" she waved.

Genma, now in his panda form, raised his paw to acknowledge her, all the while breathing a sigh of relief that he'd managed to make it to the pond before his wife had spotted him in human form.

"Please, have a seat, Mrs. Saotome. I'll go make us some tea," Kasumi smiled.

Once Kasumi finished preparing the tea and Genma, who'd shaken himself dry, had moved back indoors, Nodoka decided to ask about the members of her family, who were yet again absent.

"I'm very sorry to ask yet again, but are my son and husband around?" she asked with a sparkle of hope in her eyes.

Normally, it was Soun who took it upon himself to explain that Genma and Ranma had gone on a training trip right before Nodoka had shown up. But with things as they were now, Soun wasn't feeling very up to covering for them and remained silent.

Realizing that her father had no intention of answering, Kasumi, not wanting to see the Saotomes get into any trouble, quickly stepped up to the plate.

"I'm afraid they've gone to the mou-"

"No!" Soun suddenly interrupted, drawing a surprised look from everyone in the room.

"No...?" Nodoka asked, confused about his outburst.

Genma, who was sitting fairly close to Soun, felt incredibly jittery as he watched his longtime friend take a sip of his tea.

"Ma'am, I feel as though we have much to explain to you," Soun said, calmly looking across the table at Nodoka.

"Father, wait a moment..." Kasumi whispered to him. She wasn't sure why, but Soun's demeanor had her feeling incredibly worried right now.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi," Soun apologized as he turned his attention back to Nodoka. "That explanation we owe you, ma'am...I believe it would be best served coming from THIS man!"

With little warning, Soun Tendo turned and showered Genma with the contents of his tea cup, drawing a shocked gasp from his eldest daughter.

"Grrrawwwrrrrrowwww! That's hot! What's the matter wi-!" Genma began to say, having been changed back into his human form by the hot tea. It wasn't long before the reality of his situation hit him, however. Shaking with fright, he slowly turned around to look at his wife.

Nodoka Saotome sat silent and unmoving for several seconds, stunned and confused after watching her husband seemingly appear from the body of a panda. Then, unsure how to react, she tried to stand up, but quickly fell backward to the floor as she looked at him in shock.

"Dear...you...you were a...panda..." she said in disbelief. "What...what is going on here...?!"

* * *

"Sweep, sweep, sweep..."

Outside the doors of the Cat Café, Ringo cupped her hand over her mouth and let out a light yawn as she proceeded to sweep the walkway clean.

On a typical day, the process of preparing the restaurant for opening involved an energetic Shampoo assigning one task after another to her sometimes overwhelmed waitress. Today, though, the atmosphere inside the building felt much different than usual.

From the moment Ringo arrived, she'd seen a side of Shampoo that she hadn't recalled seeing since the two of them were in China together with Ranma. The Amazon girl that always gave it her all appeared sluggish and spaced out, and rather than giving instructions to her waitress she was quiet and mostly kept to herself.

So, not wanting to bother Shampoo too much when she was like this, Ringo took the initiative and simply began working on anything that still needed to be done before it was time to open. Not that it was any trouble for her to do things like this. She'd gone through the routine so many times that instructions really weren't necessary anymore.

Once she was finished sweeping, the timid redhead placed her hands on top of the propped up broom's handle and watched some of the morning passersby while quietly pondering something Ranma had mentioned earlier.

"I wonder if someone really was watching us..." she said to herself.

Ringo then jumped as she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder all of a sudden.

"Slackin' off?" a male voice asked.

"Ranma!" Ringo gasped, not too thrilled with her former male half sneaking up on her. "Jeez, you scared me!"

"Yeah, 'cause you were daydreamin'," the pigtailed boy smirked with amusement.

The young waitress then noticed Ranma looking around, appearing to be bothered by something like he'd been earlier.

"Do you...still think someone is watching you?" she asked him.

"Maybe...I don't see nothin' though..." Ranma shook his head, deciding to let it go for the time being. "Forget that. How's Shampoo?"

Ringo briefly glanced inside the restaurant through the glass on the doors. "She...hasn't said much today."

"She hasn't, huh?" Ranma asked, rubbing his chin for a moment. "Well, let's go do somethin' about that."

"W-wait!" the redheaded girl said, stopping Ranma before he went inside. "Um...is Ukyou..."

Ranma smiled and gave her an assuring nod. "We worked it out."

Happy with the news, Ringo placed her hand over her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

With his backpack hanging over his shoulder, Ranma readied himself and slid open the door to the restaurant.

Shampoo, he quickly noticed, was standing in the kitchen area in her red and black dress with her back turned to the entrance.

While Ringo walked in behind him and stayed by the door, Ranma strolled up to the kitchen counter and leaned on it with his good arm, resting his chin on his palm as he silently stared at his lavender-haired friend from behind.

Still distracted by her own thoughts, Shampoo just assumed when she heard the door slide open that it was Ringo coming back inside. She didn't even turn around as she examined a batch of cooking utensils she was holding.

"Ringo done sweeping?" she asked the waitress.

"Y-yes!" Ringo answered from the doorway.

Having believed that it was her waitress next to the counter, Shampoo stopped what she was doing, puzzled to hear Ringo's answer coming from so far away. Raising an eyebrow, she slowly turned around to see what was going on.

"Yo," Ranma waved his hand at her.

"Aiyaa!"

Startled, Shampoo threw the utensils she was holding into the air, staring wide-eyed at the pigtailed martial artist as they scattered across the kitchen floor.

Several awkward seconds passed as she looked at Ranma, unsure what exactly to say to him.

"Ni...hao..."

"Somethin' wrong?" Ranma tilted his head, wondering about her reaction.

Allowing herself to calm down for a moment, Shampoo tried to think of how to explain herself to him.

"Nothing...wrong," she said, looking pained as she averted her eyes from him. "Just...think maybe you mad for what Shampoo do last night..."

"For what you did?" Ranma blinked. "I was the one that kissed you, y'know."

"But..." Shampoo continued, not feeling much better about herself, "I say so much bad things..."

By "bad things," Ranma knew Shampoo was referring to the emotional tirade she went on about their relationship near the end of their date.

"Ain't like you were wrong, though," Ranma told her, prompting her to look up at him again. "I put that stuff off way too much, and it ain't fair to you, Akane, Ucchan, or anyone else."

"Ranma..." Shampoo said quietly, almost in a whisper.

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts cleared his throat and eyed Shampoo with a dead serious expression on his face.

"Listen, I-"

"_Owowowowoww! Stop! You can't go in there!_"

The three inside the restaurant stood still and listened to the familiar and increasingly audible sound of a man's protests outside.

"Is that...Pop?" Ranma wondered aloud, recognizing the cries of his father, as did the girls.

"_Ow! Come on, he's not in there! Stop! I'm begging you, stop!_"

Curious as to what exactly her father was making such a fuss over, Ringo stepped back and peeked out the already open door to see what was going on. In an instant, the girl with the red ponytail became horrified at what she saw. Her face turning white as a ghost, she frantically turned and ran over to Ranma to warn him.

"Run! Ranma, you need to get out of here!" she shrieked.

Despite the severity of Ringo's tone, Ranma was still hesitant to move, even as she started trying to push him into hiding.

"Hey, cut it out. Why should I have to run?" he complained.

"Because!" the young waitress cried. "It's-!"

"Excuse me!"

Before Ringo could finish, an anxious and determined Nodoka Saotome burst into the Cat Café carrying her wrapped sword in one hand and tugging her husband along by his ear with the other.

The moment he caught sight of his mother, Ranma felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. Fearing for his life, his first instinct was to hide as quickly as possible. But, when Nodoka locked eyes with him, Ranma froze in sheer terror.

"_She...she saw me! I'm screwed...!_" he thought.

"Ranma...my son, is that you?! It is, isn't it?!" Nodoka asked him with a hopeful look in her eyes.

The pigtailed martial artist took a quick glance over at Genma, who looked even more terrified than himself, and realized that he wasn't going to be of any help right now.

"M-Mom..." Ranma stuttered, taking a dry gulp. This wasn't good, he thought to himself. There was no telling what could happen next.

Teary-eyed and overwhelmed with joy, Ranma's mother let go of her husband's ear and ran over to her son, wrapping him in a loving hug with all her might.

"Ranma! My little boy!" Nodoka wept. "Finally! I've waited so long to see you again!"

Even though he knew his life was in danger, seeing the happiness on his mother's face over being reunited with him was beginning to change Ranma's outlook on the situation.

"Mom...I'm here," he assured her, managing to crack a slight smile. He'd wanted to meet his mother like this for such a long time. If not for the idiotic promise his father had made to her that they would commit ritual suicide if Ranma wasn't raised to be a man among men, he might've been able to enjoy this moment without worry.

"Ahaha, there you are, Ranma! I didn't think you'd be here!" Genma laughed, sounding very unconvincing and drawing an icy glare from his son.

"Oh, your arm! What on earth happened to you?!" Nodoka asked, placing her hand over the sling on Ranma's right arm.

"Don't worry, it's nothin'. I'll be gettin' the cast off soon," he told her.

"I see! That's good to hear," Nodoka smiled, wiping the tears from her face. "Oh, Ranma...there's so much I want to talk to you about...so much I want to ask you! But, first..."

Everyone tensed up as the middle-aged woman knelt down and grabbed the handle for a bucket of water that was sitting on the floor, which Ringo recognized as the one she'd been using to clean some of the chairs earlier. The bucket, she knew, had been sitting there for at least an hour, and the water inside had no doubt gotten cold in that time.

"Uh...M-Mom..." Ranma laughed nervously, "what're ya doin'?"

Nodoka Saotome looked back at her son with a remorseful expression.

"I must know for sure, Ranma! Forgive me!"

Panicking, Genma lunged forward to stop his wife from drenching Ranma, but he just couldn't make it in time. Nodoka quickly reached back and tossed the cold water at her terrified son.

No matter which way Ranma tried to go, he was too close to avoid having his curse activated, and he knew it.

"_That's it...I'm dead..._" he thought to himself.

Luckily for him, there was someone looking out for him.

The moment Nodoka tossed the water, a red and pink blur shot in front of Ranma and held her arms outward to cover as much area as possible.

"Auntie Saotome!!"

_*splash!*_

Nodoka let out a gasp as the water drenched the cheerful, red-haired girl before her from head to toe. Ranma and the others could only stand in shock at how close a call that was for he and his father.

After letting out a loud sneeze, Ringo, soaking wet and cold, looked up at Nodoka with puppydog-like eyes.

"Auntie...what was that for...?" she sniffled.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Ranko! I didn't even see you there!" Nodoka apologized profusely. "We need to get you some dry clothes..."

Shampoo, who'd been quietly observing things since Ranma's mother had abruptly shown up, leaned over the kitchen counter and placed a hand on her waitress' soggy shoulder.

"Aiyaa, you soaking wet, Ringo," the Amazon girl laughed. "No can help. You go change into one of Shampoo's dress for now."

At the mention of the redhead's name, Nodoka seemed particularly confused and gave her a funny look. "Ringo...?"

"Y-yeah! That's Ranko's nickname!" Ranma interjected with a very nervous-sounding laugh. "She likes to be called Ringo, right?!"

"O-oh, yes! That's right!" Ringo quickly answered.

Telling the truth would have been easier and made the young waitress feel much better, but presenting herself to Nodoka as "her son's former female side" wasn't the greatest of ideas given the situation that Ranma was in. Thankfully, their mother didn't appear to feel any need to question this new revelation.

"I had no idea!" Nodoka exclaimed. "Well then, I'll be sure to call you Ringo as well."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Ringo replied in perky Ranko fashion. "I'm going to go change now!"

"Just take dress from cabinet in room," Shampoo told her. But before Ringo could go, the lavender-haired girl pulled her in close and whispered a word of warning into her ear. "Just no look in bottom drawer. If you do, Shampoo have to kill you."

Ringo grimaced as Shampoo flashed her a devious smile. Even when joking with people, the Amazon teenager could be scary, she thought. Regardless of whether it was a joke or not, she figured it was in her best interest to stay out of that drawer.

While the young redhead walked back to Shampoo's room to find something dry to wear, Nodoka turned her attention back to her nerve-wracked son.

"Ranma!" Nodoka addressed him sternly. "I...I know all about your father's dreadful curse! He turns into a...a panda when splashed with water."

The pigtailed martial artist's face grew even more pale than it was before. Panicked, he looked over at his father for some sort of plan, but Genma clearly didn't have a good way to get out of this one as he stood there sweating anxiously.

"_You're a big help, Pop!_" Ranma inwardly cursed his father.

"I must know, Ranma...do you have a similar curse?!" Nodoka pressed on, looking as though she wanted to know the answer, but at the same time feared it. "If...if I were to splash you with water, would you, too, change into some creature?!"

Even though it was his mother, Ranma knew he couldn't tell her the truth. There was no way he could.

"I...uh-"

"Nodoka!" Genma suddenly interrupted, jumping in-between his wife and his son. "I already told you he doesn't! Why won't you believe me?!"

"Dear, it isn't that I don't trust you," she calmly told her husband. "I simply must see it with my own two eyes!"

Ranma gave his father credit for trying if nothing else, even if he was only motivated because his own butt was on the line too, but in the end it didn't help. He would have to figure a way out of this on his own.

Then, just when Ranma was trying to think up some sort of plan, he spotted Shampoo walking out into the dining area with what appeared to be a glass full of water in her hand.

"Is no problem, yes, Ranma?" she smiled, giving her friend a slight wink. "You just need show mother for self."

The pigtailed boy watched in horror as Shampoo handed the glass of water over to his mother.

"_What is she THINKING?! Is she tryin' to get me killed?!_" he thought frantically.

"Will you let me see, Ranma?" Nodoka asked him.

Feeling incredibly uneasy about this situation, Ranma glanced over at Shampoo again. He'd once told her about the contract Genma had made with his mother, and he had no doubt that she knew the consequences if he were to be unveiled as having a curse that transformed him into a girl. Yet, despite all this, Shampoo stood with her arms folded across her chest looking confident as ever. She had to have some kind of plan, Ranma figured.

Deciding to trust in her, Ranma turned back to his mother and slowly nodded his head. "Y-yeah, go ahead, Mom."

Nodoka wasted no time. As she reached back with the glass, Genma jumped forward to stop her, but Shampoo grabbed onto the back of his martial arts gi to keep him from interfering. There was nothing left that could stop this.

Ranma clenched his fists tightly in anticipation and closed his eyes, allowing the water to splash all over his face and shirt. Then, only a moment later, he opened his eyes wide with surprise.

"_It's warm...?!_" he thought.

While Genma collapsed to the restaurant floor, overwhelmed by the tense occurrence, Nodoka ecstatically ran over and wrapped her son in a tight hug. "You really aren't cursed! Oh, I'm so glad!"

Still half spooked to death, Ranma just chuckled halfheartedly at his mother's reaction. "Yeah...ain't it great...?"

The relieved martial artist peered over at Shampoo, who giggled a bit and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. While Nodoka knew about the Jusenkyo curses, she evidently didn't know that only cold water triggered them. Luckily for Ranma, Shampoo had picked up on it and figured out a way to deceive her.

"I truly am relieved," Nodoka said. As she let go of him again, however, that happiness quickly turned to concern. "But...oh, Ranma, I've heard all about poor Akane. What on earth happened that would drive such a sweet girl to run away from home like this?"

Unaware of what had happened, Shampoo froze up in shock at the mention of Akane's disappearance. This wasn't the way Ranma had wanted her to find out about it, but nothing was in his control right now.

"Akane...run away...?" the Amazon girl asked with surprise.

"Yeah..." Ranma groaned.

"Soun said something about her seeing you and another girl...together..." Nodoka began to say, her eyes slowly drifting over to Shampoo as she spoke. "Who is this young lady, by the way? I don't believe we've met."

Ranma looked back and forth between his mother and Shampoo a few times, trying to recall if that truly was the case. "Now that ya mention it, I guess ya haven't met her yet. This is-"

"Shampoo," the lavender-haired girl introduced herself, lightly bowing her head before Nodoka. "Is honor to meet Ranma mother after such long time."

"Well, you're very polite. I'm Nodoka Saotome. It's a pleasure to meet you," the middle-aged woman smiled. "Um...that girl Akane saw my son with...was that...?"

Shampoo quietly nodded her head in response and then walked over to the restaurant door and slid it shut. "Ranma and mother have many thing to talk about Shampoo think, but Ranma just say before you come that he very hungry. Maybe is good idea cook boys lunch and then talk, yes?"

It took a couple of seconds for it to hit him, but Ranma finally got the hint after Shampoo looked over in his direction.

"O-oh, yeah! I'm starvin'! I ain't eaten nothin' yet today..."

"Goodness, I had no idea!" Nodoka said, disappointed that she hasn't picked up on it sooner. "I should have known. You are a growing boy after all. Let's get you something to eat."

"Ranma and father sit then. It no take too long," Shampoo instructed them, seemingly having regained her usual energy as she turned to Nodoka again. "Is very long time since Ranma taste you cooking. Ranma mother help Shampoo, yes?"

"Of course! I would love to," Nodoka beamed happily. "And please, call me Mrs. Saotome."

With Shampoo leading his wife into the kitchen and his blood pressure dropping back down to more normal levels, Genma managed to crawl back to his feet and thank the gods that he was still alive. "That Shampoo girl...she just bought us some time to get our stories straight."

Alone with his father at last, a frustrated Ranma grabbed him by the collar of his gi and barked at him in a loud whisper.

"And what's she doin' here in the first place, huh?! Are you outta your mind?!"

"It's not my fault! Tendo sold us out! He's being completely unreasonable right now," Genma said in his defense. "You should be thankful I got your mother out of there before Tendo told her everything!"

Ranma glared angrily at his father, but gradually got himself to calm down a bit. "Okay, fine. So now what, genius?"

"Now we act natural!" Genma told him. "So long as she doesn't know about your curse, we'll be fine. And don't mention too much about China either. We don't want to make your mother worry too much."

The pigtailed boy understood what his father meant as he gazed over into the kitchen area.

"Yeah. I just hope Shampoo don't let nothin' slip."

Meanwhile, inside the kitchen, Shampoo was in the process of bringing out fresh vegetables and other cooking materials while Nodoka looked around for certain pieces of equipment she wanted to use.

"Excuse me, but where are your cutting boards at?' Ranma's mother asked.

"They in drawer over there," Shampoo answered, pointing at a cabinet just behind the middle-aged woman.

"Ah, thank you," Nodoka smiled. "It must feel odd having someone else poke around in your kitchen like this."

Shampoo hadn't thought about it, but Nodoka really was the first person other than her to use the kitchen since her great-grandmother had left the restaurant and returned to China.

"No used to have other person cook here, but Shampoo glad get chance to cook with you," the Amazon replied cheerfully.

"Is that right?" Nodoka asked as she grabbed a green onion and began chopping at it with a knife. She seemed much more curious about the meaning behind Shampoo's words than she was flattered by them. "I'm sorry if my behavior seems a bit awkward. It's just...I've grown very fond of Akane and the rest of the Tendo family, you see."

The lavender-haired girl calmly shook her head. "You no need explain. Shampoo understand, Mrs. Saotome."

Despite her valid suspicions that Shampoo was a factor in Akane running away, Nodoka Saotome couldn't help but admire the teenage girl's politeness.

"Ah...Shampoo, was it?" she asked. "Tell me...how do you feel about my son?"

Shampoo was quiet for a moment as she took a carrot she'd been peeling and laid it down on the counter.

"Ranma is very strong man, but also kind person," she said, a warm smile crossing her face. "Many thing happen since we meet, but...always love Ranma very much."

Nodoka was happy to hear such praise for her son, but she was also surprised at just how open Shampoo was about her feelings toward him. It was virtually the opposite of Akane's general embarrassment whenever the subject was brought up.

"I see. And...how does he feel about you?" Ranma's mother asked.

"Shampoo...afraid no know that," the Amazon girl replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. "No sure even Ranma know answer for that one."

"Yes...being young can be difficult sometimes," Nodoka said softly before resuming her food preparation. "If it isn't too much trouble, would you tell me about how you met my son? I'm afraid all I know about him is what I've heard from the Tendo family."

Talking with Ranma's mother like this felt a bit strange, but, as she figured, Shampoo was finding herself enjoying the opportunity to get to know her. She would have to avoid any mentions of girl-type Ranma in her stories, but that was manageable enough.

"Shampoo be happy to."

Out in the dining area, Genma and Ranma were quietly discussing some minor details in their lunchtime strategy when Ringo walked in wearing a dark blue dress she'd found in Shampoo's room.

"That was too close," the redhead sighed, referring to Ranma nearly being drenched by her cleaning bucket earlier.

"You ain't kiddin'," Ranma said in agreement. "I owe ya big time for that one."

"Darn right you do!" Genma emphasized to his son before giving Ringo an approving look. "I'm glad to have such a capable, attentive daughter like you!"

Ringo seemed embarrassed by the compliment while Ranma scowled over at their father.

"Oh, it's nothing really! I'm just glad it worked!" the young waitress laughed. "Um...where are Shampoo and Mo-err, no, I mean...Mrs. Saotome?"

Ranma could tell just by looking at Ringo that she didn't just consider Nodoka her "Auntie."

"Guess she's technically your mom too, ain't she?' he shrugged. "They're in the kitchen cookin' lunch. Why don'tcha go help 'em out?"

"Ehh?" the redhead began to fidget nervously at the suggestion. "Do...do you think they'd mind?"

Fed up with Ringo's worrisome attitude, Ranma spun her around and gave her a little shove toward the kitchen area. "Just go and quit worryin' about stuff. Sheesh."

"Ouch!" Ringo complained, shooting her former male half an upset look. She really didn't get many chances to spend time with Nodoka though, she thought, and she didn't want to just let an opportunity like this slip her by.

Gathering up her courage, the girl with the red ponytail headed back to the entrance to the kitchen while Genma and Ranma looked on.

"You know," Genma began to say, "I'm sure if your mother ever knew the truth, she'd accept Ringo as her own daughter in a heartbeat."

For once, Ranma couldn't have agreed with him more.

"Yeah. Maybe someday, huh?"

* * *

Unlike everything else that had happened to Ranma today, eating lunch with his mother and the others at the Cat Café actually turned out well. So well, in fact, that he happened to like it. While Shampoo cooked a couple of her favorite Chinese dishes and sides, Nodoka, with some volunteered help from Ringo, prepared some more traditional, Japanese-style dishes. The result was an impressively diverse meal that everyone, Genma and Ranma especially, thoroughly enjoyed as they ate to their hearts' content.

It didn't take Ranma long to find out that his mother and Shampoo had been talking about him in the kitchen. During the meal, Nodoka began praising the tales of her son's manliness that she'd heard from the young Amazon teen, some of which even Ranma had no idea he'd done. A quick glance over to the greatly amused Shampoo gave him good reason to believe that she'd exaggerated some of her stories, but he didn't have the heart to tell his mother that some of them weren't entirely true. Like they say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," he figured.

Once they'd all finished eating and Nodoka helped clean the dishes, Ranma was genuinely surprised and even a little disappointed when his mother announced that she was going back home. After giving her son a slip of paper with the address to their home on it, she and the others walked outside the restaurant to say goodbye for the day.

"I'm so happy I finally got to see you again, Ranma," Nodoka told him, wiping a small tear from her eye. "But...well, I know you have a lot of things to sort out in your life right now, so I'll be heading back home."

"Yeah, guess I do. I'm real glad I got to see ya like this, Mom. I've really wanted to for a long time now," Ranma said before turning to his father. "What're you gonna do now, Pop?"

"Well, I...I might move back home with your mother," Genma replied, glancing hopefully over at his wife, "if that's okay with you, of course, Dear...!"

Nodoka nodded her head in approval. "You know you're welcome to, Dear. It may be best that way since Soun seems a bit upset with you."

"Th-that's true," Genma sulked.

With one last piece of business to address, Nodoka turned her attention to her son again. "Oh, Ranma, about Soun kicking you out of his home..."

Noticeably cringing, Ranma slowly glanced over at Shampoo, who had a very expectedly surprised look on her face. He couldn't help silently cursing his luck as his mother was now a perfect two for two at letting the cat out of the bag on things that he'd wanted to tell Shampoo himself.

"You're at that age where I'm sure you like to run your own life and do what you want, so I won't force you," Nodoka continued, "but you're certainly welcome to come live with us."

Ranma had to admit, the offer was an enticing one. Not only would he get to see his mother everyday, but he'd get to eat her cooking on a regular basis as well. Living with her didn't come without its share of risks though, particularly whenever it involved cold water.

"That sounds nice, but...could ya let me think about it for a while?" he asked.

"Of course. You have the address now, so you know where to find us," Nodoka replied contently. She then looked over at the lavender-haired girl standing next to her son. "It was very nice to meet you, Shampoo, Dear. I'm sure my son must be a handful sometimes, but please take care of him. And you too, Ra-I mean...Ringo. I'm sorry, I'll get used to that. Please look after Soun as well. He's going through a difficult time right now."

"Don't worry, Auntie! Ranma and Uncle Tendo are in good hands!" Ringo shouted happily.

Shampoo politely bowed her head before Ranma's mother again. "Shampoo have fun talk with you today, Mrs. Saotome. You is welcome here anytime."

Nodoka smiled kindly and nodded at Shampoo, and then looked back at Ranma again. "I suppose we'll be off, then. Can I get a hug from my son before I go?"

"You don't gotta ask," the pigtailed boy said as he walked up to his mother and gave her a hug.

He was a bit surprised, however, when his mother put her mouth up next to his ear and whispered something into it.

"She's a wonderful girl, Ranma."

Ranma began blushing as he backed away, looking embarrassed while his parents walked off down the road.

"Goodbye! Take care of yourselves!" Nodoka called out to everyone. "And be sure to tell me when Akane comes home!"

"Bye!" the three standing outside the restaurant waved.

Once his parents had left his sight, Ranma let out an exhausted sigh and wearily crumbled to his knees. "Man, that coulda been real bad. You guys really saved me there."

Shampoo folded her arms and leered over at her redheaded waitress with an icy look in her eyes. "Get feeling Ringo no tell Shampoo very important, need know thing..."

"I wanted to, but Ranma told me not to!" Ringo defended herself.

"Yeah, I kinda wanted to talk to ya about it myself. Sorry 'bout that," Ranma apologized as he stood back up.

"Aiyaa, Shampoo no know! Is okay then," the Amazon girl said, focusing her attention on Ranma. "Akane father...kick Ranma out of house?"

"Yeah..." Ranma grumbled.

Shampoo knew exactly what she wanted to ask him, but she wasn't sure what kind of answer she'd get. No matter what his answer was though, it couldn't hurt to ask, she finally decided.

"Ranma-"

"Listen," the pigtailed martial artist interrupted, looking unusually serious. "Like I was tryin' to say earlier..."

"Kyaah!!"

Startled by the shrill sound of Ringo screaming, Ranma and Shampoo spun around to see what was wrong. What they saw didn't concern Ranma much, but it was enough to draw a gasp from the mouth of his Amazon friend.

With her gym bag draped over her shoulder, the blonde-haired woman named Alysse, a regular customer of the Cat Café for the past month, stood before a mortified Ringo wearing a white tank top and black jeans. It was the first time she'd ever shown up at the restaurant wearing anything other than her navy blue jogging suit, but that point went largely unnoticed due to the fact that she looked like she'd just gotten into a fight with someone. Not only was there a large bandage on the left side of her forehead, but there was deep bruising on the bridge of her nose, as well as near the bottom of her right cheek.

"Alysse! What happened to you?!" Ringo shrieked.

Unlike the panicked waitress, Alysse didn't seem too concerned about her physical state as she smiled down at the girl and shrugged her shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. "Some friends and I just got a little rowdy playing soccer yesterday. I'm fine."

"You no look fine..." Shampoo pointed out.

Ringo still looked disturbed as she reached up and rubbed Alysse's cheek. "But...but...it looks so painful..."

Chuckling to herself a bit, Alysse reached out and patted Ringo on the head.

"I'll live. I'm tougher than I look," she smiled, taking notice of the pigtailed boy standing next to the two restaurant workers. "And who's this?"

"Oh, that's Ranma," Ringo said as she looked over at him. "Ranma, this is Alysse. She comes here every day to eat. She's a really nice person."

Ranma narrowed his eyes at the woman, feeling somewhat curious about her injuries as he looked closely at her. "Yo..."

"So you're Ranma! I've heard Shampoo and Ringo here talk about you now and then," she said before turning her attention to Shampoo. "Are you open today?"

Shampoo blinked several times as she wondered what to do about her restaurant.

"Mmm...since Ranma mother gone, no see why not," she said. "Ringo, you go inside with Alysse. Shampoo be right there."

"Sure!" the energetic waitress happily agreed.

Before they could go inside, however, Ranma wanted to know something from the girls' acquaintance.

"Hey...did ya win that soccer game?"

Hesitating for a moment, the blonde-haired woman looked back at him and slowly shook her head in response. "I'm afraid not. It isn't always about winning or losing though. Sometimes...it's just important to leave with everything you came with."

Ringo and Alysse then headed inside, leaving Ranma to ponder just what it was that bothered him about the woman.

"For someone that would go far enough in a little soccer game to have their face lookin' like that, she sure don't come off as competitive..." he said to himself.

"Ranma..." Shampoo interrupted his train of thought, "what soccer?"

The pigtailed martial artist glanced over at his friend, looking surprised. "You dunno?"

Shampoo shook her head.

"Well..." Ranma thought about it for a moment, "it's this sport where there's a team on each side of a big field, and they each got a goal that they try to kick a ball into."

"How many ball?" Shampoo asked.

"Just one."

"You throw ball?"

"Nah, can't use your hands."

The Amazon girl quietly pondered the concept for a moment. "Soccer sound interesting..."

"It ain't really..." Ranma began to say, then realizing that he was deviating from what he wanted to do yet again. "Forget that. Anyway..."

"Ah...that right, you want say something, yes?" Shampoo apologized.

"Yeah, it's about...us..." he told her.

The lavender-haired girl's eyes opened wide. Wondering just what Ranma wanted to say, she actually began to feel a little nervous and could feel her heart starting to beat faster.

"Shampoo listen..." she said softly.

Trying to ready himself, Ranma took a deep breath and cleared his throat again.

"I..."

After a few moments of silence, Shampoo tilted her head, giving Ranma a curious look while she waited for him to continue.

Rather than thinking about what he wanted to say next though, Ranma instead began staring up at a large, brown-feathered bird on the ledge of the Cat Café's roof.

"Is that...what I think it is?"

Glancing up to see what he was talking about, Shampoo seemed just as perplexed as Ranma was. "That bird...is falcon. What bird like that do here...?"

The two warriors became alert very quickly when they heard a loud rustling sound start up all of a sudden. Looking over their shoulders, they spotted a large vortex twisting around at a high speed behind them, and it came at them with enough velocity to catch both of them off guard.

From out of the twirling vortex, a boot slammed into Ranma's face, sending him through the restaurant's front door and crashing through a number of tables and chairs inside before he finally tumbled to a stop.

Ringo could be heard screaming from inside, shaken by the rough entry of her former male half. "Ranma! W-what happened?!"

"Are you okay?!" Alysse asked, running over to him.

Outside, the spinning vortex that attacked Ranma rapidly began to slow down. When it finally came to a stop, all that was left was a man crouching near the ground.

Brushing from his face the shaggy, dirty blonde hair that hung down near his shoulders, the man wore what Shampoo immediately recognized as the dark green uniform of the Chinese military with his jacket unbuttoned to reveal a white undershirt beneath. Numerous scars could be seen on his neck and arms, as he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"An Amazon and a guy with a pigtail," he said, slowly standing up with a delighted look on his face. "You're the ones I've been looking for."

"What you think you doing?!" Shampoo cried out angrily.

Not at all happy with the man's actions, Shampoo took a sharp swing at his head. He would prove that his uniform wasn't just a fashion statement though. Without even looking, the scarred up man caught her by the wrist before shooting her a fiery look.

"Don't interfere in a man's battle, Amazon."

Then, before the unknown man could even refocus, Ranma suddenly shot out of the restaurant and slammed his fist into his attacker's nose. Clearly unprepared for the pigtailed martial artist's speed, the man flipped head over heels before regaining his senses and sliding to a stop on his feet.

The girls inside the Cat Café hurriedly ran to the door to see what was going on, but were stopped by a cautious Shampoo blocking the doorway.

"Ringo and Alysse stay back!" Shampoo told them, holding out her arm.

"Thanks for the kick, buddy," Ranma growled, reaching up and rubbing his chin with his forearm. "You the one that's been watchin' me all morning?"

"Ohh, you noticed?" the stranger laughed, seemingly more intrigued than upset as a trickle of blood ran from his nostrils. "That was a nice punch! Looks like I shouldn't take my eyes off you for too long. Just what I'd expect from the man that killed Li."

The mention of Li's name fully grabbed Ranma's attention as he sharpened his glare at the unknown man.

In the nearby area, other pedestrians who saw the confrontation either left as quickly as they could or stood watching the spectacle with interest.

"That's some look you've got, Pigtail! How about I tell you something interesting? I'm part of the Chinese military's special operations unit. You can call me by my codename, Jukai," the man told Ranma with a wide grin on his face.

"And just to make myself clear...I'm here to take Yanlou from you."

"Yanlou?!" Shampoo exclaimed, appearing confused as she looked over at Ranma. "Ranma say that scythe break!"

"It did," Ranma said, glaring coldly at Jukai. "Sorry, pal, but I ain't got that thing. It's gone."

"Oh, yes, blown to pieces, right?" Jukai laughed with amusement. "I heard all about it. It doesn't matter."

"Whadya mean it don't matter?! The scythe's gone!" Ranma snapped back at him.

Jukai smirked a bit as he observed the young Saotome's confusion. "You don't know this, but I went to Nekonron to collect it after I heard what happened. What do you think I found?"

Shampoo and Ranma stayed silent, anxiously wondering what the Chinese soldier was getting at.

"Nothing. It was gone," Jukai said, much to the bewilderment of the others. "I asked everyone at Seven Luck Mountain about it, but it seems none of them took it. And I doubt anyone could step onto heavily-monitored land like that and take it. Which means...it's still alive. And since you're it's master, it has to be with you."

While Ranma knew this man named Jukai was wrong about the scythe's location, he had to wonder why the pieces of Yanlou had disappeared. The scythe was destroyed, he thought, and the spirits within it were inside himself now. So how could their old vessel vanish on its own?

"Ranma leave that one in China, stupid boy! He no have that anymore!" Shampoo shouted at the shaggy-haired man.

Jukai shrugged his shoulders, not caring in the least. "Maybe that's true, maybe not. Either way...if I beat him, Yanlou will acknowledge me as its master."

Those standoffish words were exactly what Ranma wanted to hear as he took a step forward and eyed the visitor closely.

"That a challenge?"

"That should be obvious," Jukai replied.

"Fine. You're on," the pigtailed boy smiled, drawing looks of concern from both Shampoo and Ringo. "First though, tell me why ya want that scythe. Don't you got any idea what that thing does to ya?"

The scarred-up soldier raised a hand and began scratching his head, jokingly acting like he was trying to remember. "Tries to take complete control of you, yes?"

Ranma clenched his fists tightly, glaring furiously at the indifferent man. "If you know that, then why?! You wanna lose yourself that bad?! You ain't got any idea what that's like!"

Jukai grinned almost maniacally at Ranma's outburst.

"Bad memories?" he chuckled coldly to himself. "I'm not worried about things like that though. As far as I'm concerned, there's one thing that makes a little thing like that worth the price...and that's POWER!"

From above the Cat Café, the falcon that had been sitting on the ledge of the roof flew down and perched itself atop Jukai's right shoulder, spreading its wings as it set Ranma in its sight.

"Now...let's play, Pigtail."

Shampoo slowly walked up next to Ranma and placed her hand on his broken arm. "Ranma, this man no is like those ones we fight last night. You no should fight this one with arm like that."

"I ain't got a choice," Ranma told her. The excited smile on his face told a different story from his hesitant words. "Besides, I can take this guy. Just watch me."

"Oh, Ranma, you're always so unreasonable!" Ringo chided him from the restaurant entrance. "Just...be careful, okay?!"

"Can't promise that," he smirked, then turning to look at his lavender-haired friend.

"I know you don't want me fightin' like this, but don't help me out this time. This guy challenged me, so I'm askin' ya...just let me kick his ass, alright?"

Shampoo stood silently for a moment, torn between looking out for her love interest's safety and indulging him in his desires. But, as she shook her head, she couldn't help smiling to herself.

"Ranma always be Ranma," she told him, holding her hand up into the air. "I let you fight. Is promise."

Smiling, Ranma clasped his good hand against hers. "Thanks."

Jukai, tired of waiting, crouched down near the ground and placed his hand against the pavement.

"Are you done?" he asked impatiently.

While Shampoo backed up out of the way, Ranma turned back to face Jukai and took up a fighting stance with his left side out in front.

"Sorry for the wait. Let's go!"

_*beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!*_

Ranma and the others blinked as a loud noise began coming from the direction of Jukai, who didn't seem too anxious to do anything about it.

_*beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!*_

The two fighters didn't move as second after second passed and the beeping persisted, but it gradually got to the point where Jukai's eye began twitching with irritation.

"You gonna do somethin' about that or what?!" Ranma growled.

"Shut the hell up!" Jukai shouted as he shot to his feet.

Gritting his teeth, the Chinese soldier pulled out a cell phone from his jacket pocket, angrily slammed his finger onto one of its buttons, and held it up to his ear.

"_Freakin' annoying! What the hell do you want?!_" he barked into the device in Mandarin.

Ranma loosened up and placed his hand on his hip, curious about just who his opponent was talking to.

"_Tell it to someone else! I'm off-duty! Do you know what off-duty means?!_" Jukai continued yelling with frustration. "_Have the pig and his woman go take care of it, dammit!_"

"Pig and woman...?" Shampoo wondered to herself.

"Huh?" Ranma looked back at her. "What's he sayin'?"

The shaggy-haired man only seemed to become more enraged as the conversation wore on. "_I don't care! Why should I?!_"

Shampoo walked up to her pigtailed friend again and put her mouth near his ear. "Think he get called to work."

Ranma and the others watched as Jukai began to calm down, seemingly resigned to his fate.

"_Fine, I got it. Later,_" he finally said, ending the call. Once he'd finished, however, he immediately lit up again and crushed the phone in his hand.

"Problems at work?" Ranma poked fun at him.

Seething, Jukai threw the mangled phone to the ground and pointed a finger at his target. "You listen to me, Pigtail! I don't know when, but I'll be back for that scythe! Even if you run away, I WILL find you and take what I want!"

"Like I'd run from you!" Ranma snapped. "You come back here whenever ya want! I'll be waitin', jerk!"

"Fine! We'll see!" Jukai snarled back at him.

Reluctantly, the scarred-up soldier spun around and started walking westward down the street, leaving some relieved girls and one disappointed martial artist behind in his wake.

"Well, that was...interesting," Alysse calmly noted from the doorway. "Are things always like this?"

"With Ranma, pretty much," Ringo sighed. "I'm just glad that man left for now."

Ranma didn't seem nearly as happy about it as he stood there grumbling to himself. "Tch...I really wanted to plant my fist in his nose again..."

Shampoo could understand his feelings, but right now she agreed with Ringo. She didn't like Ranma fighting with a handicap at all, especially against someone as dangerous looking as Jukai. With any luck, she thought, he wouldn't be back until Ranma's right arm was completely healed.

For now, though, she had a restaurant to run.

"Okay, that all over," Shampoo announced, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Ringo, you clean up mess, please? And Alysse go sit. Shampoo take order in minute."

"S-sure," Ringo looked up at the blonde-haired woman. "Let's go!"

"Alright then," Alysse smiled.

With the girls disappearing into the restaurant and onlookers returning to their regular business, Ranma and Shampoo were left alone outside again. Ranma placed his hand in his pocket while Shampoo folded her hands behind her back, and the two of them shared a quiet look for a moment before Ranma finally spoke up.

"This has kinda been a...weird day," he said.

"Shampoo think same thing," the Amazon girl agreed as she looked up at her friend. "So...Ranma want finish what try to say before?"

In the midst of being riled up by Jukai's arrival, Ranma had nearly forgotten what he'd come to the restaurant for, he realized.

"Oh, yeah..." he replied, scoping out the surrounding area closely to see if anyone would interrupt him again.

"Is just us here now," Shampoo pointed out.

Ranma's visual scan of the road suggested that she was right.

"'Kay. Uhh...I ain't...good at this sorta thing," Ranma shied away, looking embarrassed, "but..y'know...we're friends..."

"Friends..." Shampoo said, trying to follow what he was saying.

Struggling to find the right words to use, Ranma slapped his hand onto his forehead. "We're friends, but...maybe we can...take it slow..."

"Slow..." the lavender-haired girl repeated.

"Yeah, slow..." Ranma nodded, "and then...we could...I dunno...be...more than that?"

Shampoo batted her eyes several times, wondering if she'd heard him right.

"Ranma...want be more than friends?'

Nervously, Ranma looked back at her to gauge her reaction.

"Well...yeah."

When the teenage warrior from the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku heard Ranma utter those words, she felt happier than she'd ever been in her entire life. With tears of joy starting to form in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around the pigtailed boy's neck and pressed her lips against his in an emotional kiss she'd been wanting to give him for what seemed like an eternity.

Again catching the stares of some of the passersby with the public show of affection, Ranma was blushing furiously when Shampoo broke the kiss, still lovingly latched onto his neck.

"H-hey..." Ranma stammered, at a loss for words.

Shampoo excitedly smiled up at him as she wiped the tears away from her face.

"Shampoo sorry, just...wait so long for this," she laughed happily. "If Ranma want take thing slow, then we go slow. How feel about each other...that all is important."

"Yeah..." Ranma cracked a smile as he wrapped his arm around her.

To say this was a bit different for him would be an understatement, but he could get used to it, he figured.

"So...uhh...what about the restaurant?"

"Mmm...really should get ready to open," Shampoo pouted, not wanting to let go of Ranma just yet. Then, an intrigued look came over her when she remembered something she wanted to tell him earlier. "You know, Cat Café have opening for busboy."

Ranma had a feeling what she was getting at.

"Oh yeah? How's the pay?"

"Is lousy," Shampoo giggled, "but also have benefit like free meal and warm place to sleep."

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts rubbed his chin while he pondered the job offer.

"Free meals?"

"Mmhmm!"

"Cooked by you?"

"That right!"

"Man, you drive a tough bargain," Ranma smiled down at her. "I'll have to think about it."

"Oh? Is any way can convince you?" Shampoo playfully asked.

"Maybe. We'll see."

* * *

Somewhere in the mountains west of Tokyo, a lone girl wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt to keep warm trudged through an eerily quiet forest, hearing only the sound of sticks crunching under her footsteps.

Akane Tendo was mentally and physically worn out. She hadn't slept nor ate since leaving home late the night before. All she could think about was how much she just wanted to get away from there.

But now, with the sun beginning to set on the horizon and the realization of how rough it would be on her own out here, Akane was starting to second guess her decision to leave.

"Maybe...I went too far..."

Despite her words, Akane kept on walking, leaning up against trees on occasion when the pain of hunger in her stomach got to be too great. She began wondering about what Ukyou was trying to tell her before she left, that she wasn't thinking clearly, and started to consider that she may have been right after all.

Gradually, with the fading sunlight shining down through the trees above, the youngest Tendo daughter came to a stop and looked back in the direction of Tokyo.

"I bet Dad's really worried. Kasumi too."

Unfortunately, Akane's thought process led her to remember one of the other residents of the Tendo home; her fiancée.

The image of Ranma kissing Shampoo the night before began playing over and over again in her mind, twisting her emotions in all of the wrong ways.

"How...how could I go back after that...?" she shook with anger, gritting her teeth as she slammed her fist into an ill-fated tree. "After all we'd been through...Ranma, you..."

Just then, Akane heard the sound of someone walking nearby and quickly perked up. It wasn't just one sound, she noticed. There were several of them coming from different directions.

As she glanced straight ahead, Akane soon spotted someone with the appearance of a druid, completely enveloped in a black cloak, walking toward her. She then saw another coming from her left, and yet another from her right. Three more soon appeared from behind her, making six of them total, all draped in the exact same type of cloak.

"_This is truly a glorious day..._" one of them, a man, said in Mandarin.

Fearing for her safety, Akane dropped her backpack to the ground and readied to defend herself, keeping a close eye on all of the cloaked individuals.

"_For thousands of years, our order has protected and passed on the last command of the one who shall rule this world,_" the same man as before continued to speak. "_As it states, on this day, at this time, at this spot in the steep hills of the land to the east, we have found the one who will carry on her will!_"

Akane grew increasingly irritated as she stared over at the one who'd been talking. "I can't understand a thing you're saying! What do you guys want?!"

The man didn't answer her. There was no need.

"_Subdue her,_" he ordered the others.

Five of the cloaked individuals moved in without hesitation. Akane wasn't going to wait for all of them to get to her at once though. She immediately took the initiative and bolted toward the one on her left, dropping them with a knee to the ribs followed by a sharp uppercut to the chin.

With one of them dazed, a second one tried to grab Akane from behind, but instead caught an elbow to the face. A third and fourth one swiftly attempted to to knock Akane to the ground before she noticed them, but she moved to the side, tossing one of them over her shoulder and very effectively kicking the other in the groin area.

Then, towering above her from behind, the largest of the cloaked attackers covered Akane's mouth with a chloroform-soaked cloth and held onto her as best he could to keep her from escaping.

As the chloroform started to take its effect on her, Akane tried with what strength she had left to break free, but the first two attackers that she'd taken out had recovered enough to join in, each of them grabbing hold of one of her arms to contain her.

Her body already weakened from a lack of food and sleep, the numbers were simply too much for Akane to overcome. As the chloroform fumes put her to sleep, Akane's eyes slowly closed and her assailants let her gently crumble down to the ground, unconscious.

A demented smile crossing his face underneath his cloak, the man who'd been talking earlier raised his arms into the air and looked up to the sky.

"_The time of her resurrection nears. Our mistress...our goddess...she will reform this world as she intended to so long ago. And we shall be by her side to bear witness to it all!_"

* * *

**End of Part I of "A Midsummer Night's Beauty"**

Author's note: Whew! Finally done with the first part of this story. Only took me about...what, a year and five months? It's been a long ride with its ups and downs, but it's been fun for me to write and I'm glad people have followed along to this point. I appreciate all the input everyone's given over the course of the story, both positive and negative, as it's helped me make the story a lot better than it originally was. And the good news, if you've enjoyed it, is that it's nowhere near done. This was just the first of three parts.

I was torn for a good while about whether I wanted to start Part II as a new story or just keep it with this one, but in the end I decided that I'd rather keep it all as one single entry. Just to keeps things flowing smoothly though, I'll add a short interlude before I start Part II to help transition between the two parts of the story.

And with that being said, here's a short preview for the next arc in this story, which I've been greatly looking forward to writing for a long, long time now:

_**Ranma has finally come to see Shampoo as more than a friend, but how will their relationship grow? And will Ranma's other suitors have anything to say about it? One of them in particular is about to face the challenge of her life when she confronts the demons of her past, and Ranma may have to face the challenge of HIS life if Jukai can ever drag himself away from his military duties. Plus, strange things are happening in China that may turn out to be a bigger problem than Ranma and the others could ever imagine.**_

_**All of this coming soon in "A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme!"**_


	25. Interlude: Jusenkyo

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

_

* * *

_

**Interlude 1**

_Five thousand years ago, a very special little girl was born to a couple in a small farming community in rural China. From an early age she showed signs of a genius-level intellect and began leaving adults dumbfounded with her radical theories about things that weren't yet known about Earth. Early scholars that were close with the territory's leadership would travel to the farms and be amazed that the little girl could participate in such complex discussions with them. Before they left they would always ask for her name, and she would reply, "Jusenkyo."_

_By all accounts, the young girl seemed destined for great things. But, at the age of nine, she began to display something that frightened everyone around her. She could materialize a flame in the palm of her hand without any catalyst. It was the start of the awakening of her latent talent for magic. Being young and curious, she began experimenting with her powers on objects, and then on animals. As more of her ability awakened, she became increasingly short-tempered and closed off from other people. Then, fearing what might become of them if her behavior continued, the people in her community cast her out of the village permanently._

_On her own, she learned to hunt game and did what it took to survive. Eventually, she began running into bandits who tried subduing her for their own pleasure. Before they could succeed in doing that, however, they would find themselves engulfed in flames and quickly burn to their deaths. Jusenkyo felt nothing about killing the men, and that led her to go even further. She began killing innocent people for food and money, either by using her dark magic or slicing them apart with her black-handled scythe, and several times destroyed even entire communities. As word of her heinous activity spread, soldiers were sent by the territory's rulers to kill her. Sadly, they would never be heard from again._

_One day when she was in her 20's, Jusenkyo determined that she'd become bored with her current lifestyle and relocated to the unpopulated __Bayankala mountain range, where she built a home for herself and conducted endless research on her own powers and the planet. Over the years, the grounds surrounding her home became filled with deep holes from her experiments, and those holes would then fill with the water that flowed underground as it ran down from nearby Jusendo Mountain._

_Through her work, Jusenkyo managed to create two servants of considerable power to aid her. Her array of spells also increased as she learned more about the environment and how to control it, and the strength of her magic increased greatly as well. Yet, despite all of this, Jusenkyo felt deep down that it was all meaningless since she knew she would one day die like everyone else. Thus, it became her goal in life to make herself immortal._

_The sorceress spent decades trying to find the key to immortality, but every attempt ended in __failure. Then, gray-haired and wrinkled as time took its toll on her mortal body, she finally had a breakthrough. Using what she had learned over the years, she would use a substantial amount of magic to create a pale green stone with the immense power to increase its user's magical ability tenfold and sustain their body over the course of time. She would deem this stone the "Jewel of Eternity." Her body was frail though, and she didn't want to experience immortality with the figure of an old woman. Torn between her options, her vanity got the best of her and she eventually decided to place a bet on the future._

_In order to ensure her resurrection, Jusenkyo ventured to the closest community of people and found a despondent man with little will to live. She poured hope into his heart and won him over with talk of a perfect world ruled by her, convincing him to pass down the orders she gave to future generations until the time was right for her revival. Once that was taken care of, she returned home and transformed the souls of her two servants into a crystallized form before sealing them up in small, wooden cubes with powerful spells that only she could undo._

_Concerned for her key to immortality, Jusenkyo then sealed up the Jewel of Eternity and hid it in a place that only she could reach, but the amount of magic she used would prove to be lethal to her withered body. In her last act, she crawled out to one of the springs near her home and cast a spell on it, after which she fell into the spring and drowned. But what she hadn't planned on was that the water of the spring would seep through the ground over time and eventually place a similar curse on every other spring in the area._

_Years later, Jusenkyo's residence would be discovered by explorers sent out by the land's rulers. Inside her worn down home, they found records of her research and were astonished by what she had achieved. They found the sealed cubes containing her servants, and soon found Jusenkyo's skeletal remains still in the spring where she had died. But then, as they were removing her from the water with a bamboo shaft, one of the men accidentally fell into an adjacent spring and shockingly emerged as a crane. The men were fearful of the springs from that point on, and decided to leave Jusenkyo's body where it was. They eventually discovered the fact that warm water would change their comrade back to his human form, while cold water changed him into a crane again._

_When word of this got back to their superiors, it was decided that a special group should keep watch over the grounds. Thus, a protection society was formed for the area, which made sure to block off the spring containing Jusenkyo's remains as their first act. The rest of the springs, on the other hand, were kept open and were often used as punishment for criminals. The society would continue to keep watch over the springs for many years, over which the memories of the sorceress Jusenkyo would gradually fade and be forgotten. The area would eventually become a training ground for martial artists to hone their skills. If one of them would fall into a spring and become cursed, the protection society would monitor their actions to ensure that their powers weren't being abused for immoral deeds._

_And, of course, the springs would become known...as the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo._

_

* * *

_

_Present day China, Qinghai Province..._

From the small building he called his home, the Jusenkyo guide looked up at the overcast sky through the bamboo bars of his window and shook his head.

"_The weather's been gloomy for days now. I wouldn't mind a nice, sunny day every now and then,_" he grumbled to himself in his native Mandarin language. "_Oh well, that's how it goes..._"

Shrugging off the cloudy scene outdoors, he went to grab his wok and placed it on the wooden table in front of him.

"_What should I eat today?_" he wondered aloud while setting out cooking utensils for use. "_I still have some pork left over, or maybe...hmm?_"

Outside his window, the guide happened to notice what looked like a layer of fog forming close to the ground. It wasn't entirely uncommon, so it didn't initially concern him. But when that layer of fog suddenly turned into a virtual geyser of steam shooting out from each one of the cursed springs, he nearly fell over from shock.

"_Wh-what is this?!_" he cried out.

Frantic, he quickly burst out of the door to his home and sprinted through the mist over to the nearest springs to see what was happening. Once the pillars of steam started to recede, the guide anxiously leaned forward and peered down into one of the cursed pools.

It had completely evaporated, leaving nothing but an empty pit sitting in the ground.

"_G-g-gone! The spring is gone!_" the panicked guide shouted.

In utter disbelief of what was going on, he began running around to the other springs hoping to see them still filled with water. As he feared, each and every one of them had completely evaporated.

"_This is impossible! What on earth happened here?!_" he yelled loudly. The Jusenkyo guide then took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down so he could analyze the situation properly. "_The temperature here is perfectly normal...it can't be environmental. For all of the springs to destruct...something must have power over all of them, but...what? There's no such thing in exi-_"

The guide's eyes widened and his throat went dry as he recalled something that he thought was merely a folktale. When he'd first trained for the job of taking care of the springs, his predecessor had shown him an enormous boulder sitting before the pools of water. He'd briefly mentioned the legends that said there was a forbidden spring underneath it and gave a short summary of the legend of Jusenkyo, but for the most part he'd brushed it off and made his pupil focus on learning the history of the accessible springs. Nobody truly believed that a sorceress who died five thousand years ago could come back to life.

In any case, the Jusenkyo guide needed to assure himself that the spring was still closed off for the sake of his own peace of mind. Making sure not to fall into any of the empty pits, he dashed through the wall of steam without slowing down at all.

"_It's not her. It can't be..._" he told himself. "_But...why do I feel so nervous about this...?_"

Coming upon the area with the blocked off spring, he felt a great deal of relief when he spotted the giant boulder that sat atop the spring still in one piece.

"_Thank goodness!_" he said, trying to catch his breath as he slowed down and began walking closer to the boulder. "_Really, I don't know why I was so-_"

The guide suddenly came to a stop and let out a gasp. The boulder, he noticed, was not where it used to be. Rather than sitting on top of the spring, it was now sitting next to it with what used to be the forbidden pool completely exposed.

Then, from next to the boulder, a shadowy figure began to emerge from the mist.

Beads of sweat ran down from the guide's face as he stared at the person. He was so stricken with fear that he couldn't move his legs. It wasn't clear whether it was a man or a woman walking toward him. All he noticed as they came closer was the water dripping from the hair hanging down in front of their face.

"_Y-...y-...y-you...who...?_" his voice trembled.

As they came to a standstill, the figure raised their right hand up and held it out in front of them. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an orange light formed in their palm and began swirling around their forearm.

The guide swallowed hard and began breathing heavily, shaking as he kept his eyes on the person. "_Are...are y-you...J-..J-..Jusenkyo...?!_"

"_Begone..._" the figure hissed.

From out of the steam cloud, the light swirling around the person's arm exploded into an inferno of fire.

"_N-no! Stop, please! I've done nothing wrong! Spare me!_" the guide pleaded. Unfortunately, the cold-hearted figure had no intention of showing mercy.

Trying to save his life, the guide made an attempt to turn and run, but he'd barely left his feet before he was engulfed in a blaze of scorching flames.

"_KYAHHHHHHH!!_"

* * *

Inside the Cat Café restaurant, customers were beginning to filter in for lunch on this warm, Sunday afternoon. It was mid-May now, and Ukyou, Ringo, and Ranma had all begun their final year at Furinkan High School. And while Ranma spent a fair amount of time helping out at the restaurant, there were days like today where his morning training sessions with his father ran long, leaving Shampoo and Ringo to handle things until he got back.

"Ringo, you is finished cleaning yet?" Shampoo called out to her waitress from the kitchen.

Diligent as ever, the girl with the red ponytail quickly scrubbed off one last tabletop and tossed her washcloth down into her cleaning bucket. "All done!"

Motioning for Ringo to come over to her, Shampoo filled two glasses with cold water and set them out on the counter.

"Bring water to boy and girl over there, and take orders too," Shampoo instructed her, pointing over to a table where a young couple was sitting.

"Okay," Ringo smiled.

The perky waitress grabbed the water and headed toward the table, a task as simple as anything she did on the job. But before she could make it to the table, a paralyzing chill ran through her body, drawing a loud cry of surprise from her mouth as the water glasses fell from her hands and shattered on the floor.

"Ringo?!" Shampoo yelled, hurrying over to see what happened after hearing the crash. Once she noticed that her waitress had collapsed to her knees, the Amazon girl vaulted over the kitchen counter and wrapped an arm around her as she knelt down beside her. "Ringo! You is okay?! What happen?!"

Receiving some concerned glances from the customers, the young redhead held herself tightly, looking frightened as she tried to calm down. The chill had gone as quickly as it came, but Ringo still couldn't stop shaking.

"Wh-what...was that...?"

* * *

**End of Interlude 1**

Coming up next: Chapter 1 of "A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme"


	26. QoE: The Black Rose

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"_ETA to Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo is five minutes. I repeat, ETA to to Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo is five minutes. Do you copy?_"

On a warm summer day in mainland China, a black helicopter belonging to the Chinese military soared over the Qinghai Province toward its assigned destination while carrying two special operatives who had orders to conduct an investigation.

"_Commander, did you hear me? ETA to the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo is-_"

The pilot's body jerked forward as the white-haired young woman seated behind him irritably slammed her foot into the back of his seat.

"_I heard you the first two times! Give it a rest!_" Meilin chided him in Mandarin.

"_Y-yes ma'am!_" the pilot quickly apologized.

While shining up the blades of her snake sword, Meilin took a moment to peer over at her excited looking partner. "You sure seem happy."

Sitting across from her, Ryouga Hibiki felt so elated that his hands were shaking.

"I've never been so happy in my life!" he exclaimed with tears in his eyes. "What are the odds that they'd send us to Jusenkyo?! Now I can finally get rid of this curse! It's perfect!"

Meilin wasn't sharing his enthusiasm about the trip.

"Oh, come on. You know I like the little piggy..." she pouted. "Doesn't my opinion matter at all?"

"On everything except this, yes! But the pig's gotta go!" Ryouga declared.

It had been over three months now since Ryouga and Meilin had a bad string of luck that ended with them being arrested. They'd been heading to the eastern coast of China with the intention of catching a ride aboard a ship and traveling to Japan. Unfortunately, a local officer recognized Meilin when she and Ryouga stopped in a town for food, and proceeded to phone for some backup. Later that night, with close to a hundred military personnel gathered, they moved in on the pair while they were sleeping and were able to subdue them after a short battle.

Meilin was confronted with a list of charges too long to name, while Ryouga was charged with being an accomplice to a wanted criminal. But, in what may or may not have been a lucky break for the two, it wasn't a jail cell that awaited them. Due to the extent of their fighting abilities, they were instead fitted with position locators on their legs and enlisted in a ragtag squad of the military's special operations unit known internally as the Orange Team. This squad was entirely made up of criminals who were ordered to work for the military instead of spending their prison sentences rotting away in jail, and they were treated as such. The Orange Team was largely dysfunctional and were commonly used as guinea pigs, being sent into potentially dangerous situations to assess things while not putting the non-criminal portion of the military at risk. They were never assigned a leader and members usually acted independently while carrying out their orders. Things would change with the injection of their two new comrades though.

On the Orange Team's first mission with Ryouga and Meilin in their ranks, they found themselves outnumbered and under siege by a hostile rebel faction of militants. After a number of their fellow team members had already gone down with severe injuries, Meilin and Ryouga took it upon themselves to execute a strategy and began to turn the tide of the battle in their favor. With their lives at stake, Meilin began shouting orders to the remaining members of the team, and, after watching how effective she and Ryouga had been, they followed her orders with little complaint. In the end they were able to overcome the rebels without taking any further casualties on their side, and Meilin would be regarded as the unofficial commander of the Orange Team from that point forward. Ryouga was regarded just as highly, but Meilin was the only one deemed the commander since Ryouga couldn't communicate in Mandarin with the rest of the team. That, and because Ryouga outright refused to take the lives of enemies.

Since then, the once ridiculed Orange Team had flourished under the command of Ryouga and Meilin and had gained a fair amount of regard amongst the rest of the special operations unit. It was a noteworthy feat, but one that the two of them didn't care about in the least. They were simply making the best of a bad situation. Once they'd paid their dues, they looked forward to leaving the country as soon as possible and living freely once again.

"_We have a visual on the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo, Commander. Please get ready to deploy,_" the pilot informed Meilin.

The white-haired rogue, who was outfitted in a simple black tank top and camouflage pants with a number of small packs and a gourd tied around her waist, slid her sword into the sheath strapped to her back and brushed the bangs away from her face as she looked out the window of the aircraft.

"Well...that's different," Meilin calmly noted.

Ryouga, who was wearing his usual tattered yellow shirt and bandana along with a pair of camouflage pants to match his partner, joined Meilin at the window and was taken aback by the startling sight. The entire grounds of the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo were covered in a mist so thick that it couldn't be seen through in the least.

"What...what happened to this place...?" he wondered aloud.

"Good question," Meilin shrugged. "The guide stationed there hasn't been heard from in two weeks, and locals are saying that mist has been there the entire time. They're too scared to go near it, so now it's our job to go see what the hell happened."

"That's fine. As long as the springs are still there, I don't care what we run into," Ryouga told her, sliding his umbrella in-between a couple loops of leather strap on his lower back. "Hey, I think we should get out here instead of just dropping right down into that cloud."

"You're right," Meilin agreed, turning her attention to the pilot again. "_Hey, this is far enough. We're going in._"

"_Acknowledged!_"

With the helicopter's forward progress coming to a halt, Ryouga slid the door open and dropped a rope ladder out the side. "I'll head down first."

"_Listen,_" Meilin instructed the pilot, "_re-fuel this bird and make sure everyone's on standby when you get back to camp. I doubt there's anything to worry about down there, but you never know. Understood?_"

"_Yes ma'am!_"

Her orders conveyed, Meilin hopped out the door and followed her partner down the rope ladder toward the edge of the springs.

Once they'd both reached ground, Meilin gave the ladder a couple of tugs, signaling another member of her squad to pull it up. The helicopter then headed back to camp, leaving the two most regarded members of the Orange Team staring at the large wall of mist in front of them.

"I don't hear anything coming from in there," Ryouga noted. "Do yo-h-hey...!"

Ryouga's face turned red as Meilin wrapped her arms around him and kissed the side of his neck.

"Mmm...we haven't gotten much time to ourselves lately, have we, honey?" she giggled seductively. "Let's play a little, hmm?"

"What?! We just...you know, this morning!" an embarrassed Ryouga pointed out.

Meilin smiled as she brushed her finger against her partner's chin. "I'm a very needy woman, you know. I can't settle for just once a day."

"Are you crazy?! Something could jump out of that cloud and kill us both!" Ryouga frantically told her. "Let's go see what happened in there first, and then we can do anything you want when we get back to camp!"

The intrigued white-haired woman raised an eyebrow at her lover. "Anything?"

"A-anything..." Ryouga repeated, his voice tapering off as he realized the kind of night he was probably in for.

After looking back and forth from the mist to her man several times, Meilin let out a disappointed sigh and unhanded her partner. "You're lucky I'm such an understanding woman. I'm holding you to that promise though."

"Fine. You ready?" Ryouga asked her.

Meilin nodded her head and promptly grabbed hold of his hand. "Let's go."

Feeling confused, the directionally-challenged martial artist pointed down at their interlocked hands and gave Meilin an odd look. "What's this?"

"So you don't get lost," she casually replied.

Ryouga narrowed his eyes at the woman in annoyance. "My sense of direction is not that bad..."

"Ha! I have souvenirs from 12 different countries that say otherwise!" Meilin chortled at the response. "You know I love you, but you get lost just going to the bathroom, honeybuns. If I let you walk into this fog without holding your hand, I won't see you for weeks."

"Okay! I get the point!" Ryouga grumbled, reluctantly conceding the dispute. "If we get attacked, we're letting go, though!"

"Fair enough," Meilin smiled, turning her attention back to the concentrated mist. "Off we go."

Hand-in-hand, the temporary special operations agents cautiously stepped into the mysterious cloud and made their way toward the location of the springs.

"This stuff is really thick," Ryouga said.

"It's too thick. I can't even see your face clearly," Meilin complained, taking a moment to sniff the air. "Oh yuck, and what's that putrid smell?!"

Ryouga could smell it too, and it only got stronger as they closed in on the springs. It wasn't long before they both caught a first glimpse of the cursed pools.

"Hey, there they are!" Ryouga pointed out excitedly, tugging his partner forward. "Come on, let's go find the Spring of Drowned Man!"

"How can you still be thinking about that with this nasty stink in the air?!" Meilin groaned, keeping her free hand over her nose.

"One little stink won't stop me from ending my years of torment the pig...caused..." Ryouga began to say, but a closer look at the spring near his feet drastically changed his train of thought. "H-hey...am I seeing things...?"

Moving in for a closer look, Meilin knelt down by the spring and squinted as she peered down inside. "It's...just an empty pit."

"NO! This isn't real!" Ryouga cried out. In a panic, he began running from spring to spring while pulling his partner behind him. "Empty...empty...empty...they're all empty!! What is this?! Where...where's my cure?!"

Meilin grimaced as she looked at the ground a short distance away from them. "I don't know about your cure, but I think I found where that stench is coming from..."

Raising his head, Ryouga placed his hand over his mouth in disgust when he saw what she was referring to. Though it wasn't totally clear through the mist, there looked to be a human corpse sitting next to one of the springs.

Unpleasant though it was, the pair approached the spring and had their suspicions confirmed when they got a close-up look of a badly burnt human body.

"This...this is terrible..." Ryouga's voice shook.

"Seems like it's been here for a while. Look, all the grass is burned around it. You can see the burns on their clothes too," Meilin pointed out.

Looking around at the nearby area, Ryouga's eyes widened as he suddenly spotted a burnt cap lying near the body. It was dark green in color with a yellow star on the front, and Ryouga recognized it the instant he picked it up.

"What is it?" Meilin asked him.

Her partner swallowed hard. "This is the cap he wore. The guide for this place..."

Meilin looked down at the body with pity in her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Guess that answers what happened to him."

"I don't get it..." Ryouga said in disbelief. "Who would do this?"

While scanning the nearby area for anything else worth looking into, Meilin noticed something else lying on the ground not too far from where they were. "Come on, there's something over there."

What the two of them would find was even more startling than their first discovery. Lying on the ground next to a gigantic boulder were several more bodies draped in black cloaks, and they looked to have been sitting there as long as the Jusenkyo guide had been.

"More?! What is this?!" Ryouga said, sounding horrified as he backed away.

"One, two, three, four...and five," Meilin counted. "But look...these ones aren't all burned, and neither is the grass around them."

Kicking it with her foot, the unusually calm woman flipped one of the bodies so that it was face-up, and quickly spotted what she was looking for. "There's our cause of death."

Ryouga had to look twice at what he saw. The body had an entry wound the size of a fist on the front of its chest. "It...almost looks like someone punched right through him..."

"Maybe, but we'll let the coroners decide that," Meilin replied as she stood up and grabbed a communicator out of her pocket. "_Attention base, this is Meilin. Do you read me? Over._"

"_This is base. Go ahead. Over,_" someone replied on the other end.

"_We have six deceased bodies over here, including one believed to be Jusenkyo's guide,_" Meilin said into the communicator. "_No sign of any danger yet. We'll check out the rest of the area first, but get ready to send a recovery team for the bodies. Over._"

"_Understood. Over._"

After putting the communicator away, Meilin continued staring at the grim scene alongside her disturbed lover.

"Well, what do you make of all this, hon'?" she glanced over at him.

Ryouga could only shake his head as he peered around at the air filled with mist again.

"I'm not sure...but I've got a real bad feeling about it for some reason..."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Sea of Japan, Tatewaki Kuno was strolling around the outside of the Kuno Estate for the first time in months with his faithful servant Sasuke at his side.

"Master Kuno, I can't tell you what a relief it is to see you again!" Sasuke wept with joy.

The elder Kuno sibling, who was dressed in a navy blue business suit with a silver tie, seemed unsurprised at his servant's emotional reaction to his presence.

"Of course. One would be truly misguided to not feel the sadness that my absence surely brings about," he boasted, brushing his hair away from his face. "I take it things have gone smoothly while I was away?"

"Well...with the estate, yes..." Sasuke replied, though still appearing troubled.

"Indeed, I can see you've been keeping up with your cleaning duties," Kuno nodded. "And what of my dear sister?"

Sasuke's demeanor turned gloomy as his body hunched over with dismay. "Y-you see...Mistress Kodachi has been in very poor shape for a while now, I'm afraid to say..."

"What?!" the ninja's master snapped, picking him up by his clothing. "For a while now?! Why did you not tell me this sooner?!"

"Because we have no way of getting in contact with you!" Sasuke angrily retorted. "You're always moving from place to place and you never even bother to call!"

"No excuses!" the stubborn Kuno reprimanded his servant. "Now tell me, what has happened to my sister?!"

While brushing his clothing off, Sasuke shot a dismal look toward the estate's rose garden. "One night just over two months ago, Mistress Kodachi wandered home in a daze. Ever since then, she's been like an empty shell. She never leaves the estate, not even to go to school, and she barely eats. She just spends all day sitting in the rose garden with that distant expression on her face. I've brought a number of doctors here to take a look at her, but they all say she's perfectly healthy. Whatever it is that ails her appears to be in her mind."

Kuno felt a rare bout of legitimate concern for his sister as he, too, eyed the rose garden. "How terrible. Have you found out what drove her into this state?"

"Not exactly," Sasuke told him, "but I did find out that Ranma Saotome started living with that Shampoo girl around the same time. Mistress Kodachi was certainly fond of Saotome, so...maybe..."

"Ranma Saotome is at fault! That swine! I should have known!" the eldest Kuno sibling shouted, restraining his anger as he tried to focus on the most important issue at hand. "I...I shall have to deal with that cretin later. For now, let us go visit with my ill sister."

"Y-yes, Master Kuno," his servant answered.

Sasuke quietly led the way to the Kuno Estate's rose garden, where he and his master found a very subdued Kodachi Kuno sitting in a black dress next to a bush of black roses. Despite the sound of her brother and servant approaching, the once energetic and twisted gymnast acted as though she didn't hear them while leaning forward to smell the fragrance of one of her roses.

"Wonderful news, Mistress! Your brother has come to see you!" Sasuke told her, hoping that the elder Kuno's return may shake Kodachi out of her present state.

With worry in his heart, Tatewaki Kuno knelt down on the ground with one knee and placed a hand upon his sister's shoulder. "Kodachi...look at me."

Ever so slowly, the woman once deemed the Black Rose of St. Hebereke turned and glanced at her brother. A weak smile began to cross her face as she looked at him, but, just as Sasuke had said, her expression felt very distant.

"Brother...dear..."

"Kodachi," Tatewaki looked at his sister with pity, "what has happened? What did that scoundrel Saotome do to you?"

The name "Saotome" appeared to strike a chord with the dark-haired gymnast, who folded her hands and meekly stared down at her lap. "Ranma darling...chose another. He did not love me..."

"So, that _is_ it," her brother said. "Sasuke tells me that you do not leave the estate anymore. Why, my dear sister? Is it because of that?"

Kodachi gently nodded her head, completely devoid of the pride and arrogance she so often displayed.

"I was utterly defeated, brother dear," she replied sadly. "To show my face outside any longer would be...humiliating."

"No!" Tatewaki suddenly shouted.

"Brother dear...?" Kodachi faintly mouthed.

Moved to tears, the elder Kuno sibling wrapped his arms around his sister from behind and embraced her. "You mustn't think like that, dear sister! I have met defeat at the hands of Ranma Saotome many times before, yet I continue fighting and still live my life with the pride of a Kuno! Sulking and cowering within these gates is beneath us! I beg you, you must go beyond the gates of our home and live your life once more!"

"Go...outside?" her voice shook. "I...I cannot..."

"Please, my dear sister," Kuno pleaded with her, "I know we have clashed with one another at times...and even fired rocket launchers at each other, but it pains me so to see you like this! I cannot imagine what our dear parents would think of me if I let you waste away here. You are a Kuno! You can overcome any defeat and still rise again to shine brightly!"

Though Kodachi had seen her brother show his passion toward many things in her life, she'd never had him direct it at her before. She was touched by his genuine emotion to the point that she didn't want him to worry about her anymore.

"If...if I go outside the gates...then will you feel better, brother dear?" she asked.

Tatewaki nodded his head affirmingly. "That is all I ask."

Once her brother let go of her, Kodachi nervously got to her feet and looked back at him. "Very well. Then, I suppose...I shall go for a walk..."

To Sasuke's amazement, he stood and watched as the woman he'd seen languish for over two months walked out beyond the gate and stepped into the world once again.

"Master Kuno...I-I had no idea you were so attached to Mistress Kodachi! You actually got through to her!" he cried.

His servant may have been making a big deal out of it, but Tatewaki Kuno found nothing remarkable about what he'd done.

"My sister is a Kuno. It would be a waste for a member of our family to not show our magnificence to the world," he said arrogantly. "In any case, I have other matters to attend to, the first of which shall be my darling Akane Tendo. No doubt she must be terribly lonesome after my long absence."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow in the direction of the elder Kuno sibling. "Um...Akane Tendo ran away from home right around the same time that Mistress Kodachi began having problems. I'm afraid she hasn't been seen since..."

"Oh, I see, she...WHAT?!" Kuno exploded. "What do you mean she ran away?! Speak, you fool!"

"Wh-what?! Didn't Nabiki Tendo tell you?" Sasuke asked his master.

"Of course not! That woman never tells me anything!" Kuno shouted angrily, clenching his fists tightly. "This must be Ranma's fault as well! Curse you, Ranma! This is absolutely unforgivable!"

Tatewaki Kuno ran off in a fit of rage, leaving his perplexed servant standing alone in their rose garden.

"I suppose some things never change..." Sasuke muttered.

* * *

There was a tense quiet inside the Cat Café restaurant where, despite there still being four individuals inside the business after a busy lunch hour on this Sunday afternoon, a mere pin drop could be heard as Ranma Saotome and his girlfriend, Shampoo, stared at each other from across the dining area without blinking even once.

"Ranma ready?" the lavender-haired teen asked.

With a dirtied white apron draped over his clothes and a large plastic bucket on the table in front of him, Ranma rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and prepared himself. "Yeah, bring it on."

Reaching down to the table next to her, Shampoo swiftly grabbed hold of two dirty plates and flung them at blazing speed toward the pigtailed martial artist.

Using his quickness and some intense concentration, Ranma shot his arms forward and managed to snatch the plates out of the air before they could embed themselves into his chest. He then placed them down into his bucket as fast as he could, only to see several more plates whirling toward him.

Since moving out of the Tendo home, Ranma had gotten into the habit of meeting up with his father every morning for training at various areas, but he would also do things like this with Shampoo to sharpen his skills. Ryouga, Kuno, and Mousse may have been gone, but there were still other people out there to challenge him. One in particular was the Chinese soldier who called himself Jukai. He hadn't been heard from since being called away for work shortly after appearing for the first time, but his declaration that he would return never left Ranma's mind. He wanted to fight Jukai in the worst way, especially now that his broken arm had healed, and he was taking every step to make sure he was prepared when the dangerous-looking soldier came back.

Currently at a point out of harm's way, the restaurant's premier waitress sat alongside their most regular customer, both of them watching with interest as Shampoo sped around the dining area like a bolt of lightning while throwing plates at her busboy.

"Those two are monsters..." Alysse quietly commented to her redheaded friend. "They sure do put on a show though."

"They...like to find unconventional ways to train," Ringo chuckled to herself.

Shampoo vaulted around the dining area throwing every remaining plate and drinking glass left on the tables at Ranma, who had to keep a sharp focus to not just grab them all, but also avoid breaking any of them. Yet, despite the challenge, the quick-handed Saotome was performing flawlessly.

With only one plate left, the energetic Amazon girl planted her feet on the floor and flung it through the air at full power. After setting a glass down in his bucket, Ranma had only a split second to react before the plate made impact. He quickly leaned his head back to get a few extra inches of room and whipped his hand in front of him, snapping the speeding plate out of the air with only an inch between it and the tip of his nose.

"Whoa, close one," he smirked, standing up straight again.

"Ooooh," Ringo and Alysse cooed, giving the pigtailed boy a small round of applause.

Ranma took a deep breath as he placed the final plate in his bucket and turned to Shampoo for approval. "Well, how was that?"

Strutting over to her busboy, the Cat Café's manager cracked a smile as she reached out and plucked a grain of rice from Ranma's cheek.

"You need train more," she teased.

"What?!" Ranma groaned with disappointment. "C'mon, it's one stupid grain of rice!"

"You know rules. No can let any food hit you," Shampoo playfully wagged her finger at him. "Better luck next time."

Grumbling to himself, Ranma solemnly grabbed his bucket full of dirty dishes and headed for the kitchen. "Man...stupid rice..."

Ringo, who'd only stuck around to watch the plate-tossing display after her shift ended, stood up from her seat shortly after and said goodbye to her friend with the long, blonde hair.

"I guess I'll head home, then," she smiled down at Alysse. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course, I'll be here," Alysse told her. "Take care."

"I will. See you, then," the redheaded waitress said before turning her attention to Ranma and Shampoo. "Bye, you guys!"

"See ya, Ringo!"

"Bye bye!"

After Ringo had left, Shampoo made sure to go check in on her one remaining customer.

"You want refill for water?' she asked Alysse.

"Oh, no thank you," the girl in the navy blue jogging suit shook her head. "I'll be going pretty soon."

"That fine, then," the lavender-haired girl replied. "You mind if Shampoo ask question?"

Alysse blinked her eyelids once, curious about what the restaurant manager wanted. "Not at all. What is it?"

Shampoo nonchalantly sat down in the seat next to her customer and crossed her legs as she leaned back. "Is nothing really. Just...you is good friends with Ringo, yes? So why you no go have fun together?"

"Have fun together?" the blonde girl raised an eyebrow at her. "We talk all the time when I come here..."

"I no mean here," Shampoo pointed out. "You could go shopping, or go to movie together, or just go for walk."

"Oh..." Alysse replied, looking a bit uncomfortable. "No...I'm sure she's busy once she leaves here..."

"Busy? We find out about that," Shampoo grinned, turning her head toward the kitchen area. "Ranma! What Ringo do when she no is working?!"

"Huh?! Ringo?! Not much!" the pigtailed martial artist shouted back. "Unless somethin's changed a lot in the last couple months, she just does her homework and helps Kasumi with chores!"

Shampoo seemed pleased with herself as she turned to face her lone customer again. "You see? Ringo have plenty free time."

Alysse, who'd always had a somewhat mysterious nature about her from Shampoo's point of view, appeared to be contemplating to herself while staring down at her drinking glass.

"What you worry about? Shampoo sure Ringo have fun if you go do things together," the Amazon girl urged her.

Clearly feeling troubled, Alysse stood up from her seat and grabbed her gym bag from the floor. "I...need to get going. Thank you for the meal."

The blonde girl didn't look back as she closed the restaurant door behind her, leaving Shampoo to let out a loud sigh.

"What that all about?" she wondered aloud.

Ranma was diligently scrubbing away at the dishes in the kitchen when he noticed Shampoo walking in. "Hey. What were you talkin' about out there?"

"Just try find out why Alysse never go do things with Ringo," Shampoo explained, sounding frustrated as she wrapped her arms around the pigtailed boy's neck from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "No understand that Alysse sometimes. She and Ringo get along very good too..."

"Well, yeah...it ain't really our problem though," Ranma told her. "Just leave 'em be. You've been gettin' way too worried about Ringo since she had them chills a couple weeks ago."

As she peered over at her busboy, a sly smirk crossed Shampoo's face.

When Ranma first expressed interest in becoming more than friends with Shampoo over two months ago, he stated that he wanted to take things slowly in their relationship. The sometimes overwhelmingly affectionate Shampoo was quick to agree, happy just to have finally worked her way into Ranma's heart, but things may have been moving even more slowly than she'd expected. They'd gone on the occasional date when they had time, and Ranma had grown more comfortable with the idea of actually acting like a couple in public. Shampoo could even get a kiss out of him just about any time they were alone if she was adamant enough about it. That was the extent of their relationship thus far, though. Ranma was still set on things moving along slowly, and Shampoo was accepting of it. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try to coerce him otherwise every now and then.

"You right. Maybe Shampoo have too much stress," she said, grazing Ranma's shoulder with the tip of her finger.

"Uh...yeah," Ranma replied, nervously looking into her scheming eyes. "What're you up to?"

Shampoo giggled as she put her mouth next to his ear. "You know what is good way for get rid of stress?"

Feeling the warm breath on his ear, Ranma jerked his head away and began to blush. "H-hey...you know I ain't...y'know..._ready_..."

"But is what all couple do!" Shampoo continued to goad him. "You no even have to-"

"RANMA SAOTOME!!"

The pair of martial artists were startled when a booming voice suddenly resonated throughout the area. Both went wide-eyed as the door to their restaurant then went flying through the dining section, and behind it entered an enraged Tatewaki Kuno.

"...Kuno?" Ranma blinked.

"YOU!" the former Furinkan upperclassman shouted, nimbly leaping over the restaurant's counter and into the kitchen area. Still dressed in his business suit, Kuno threateningly pointed his wooden sword at his old nemesis.

Not too concerned about Kuno's bad attitude, Ranma seemed happy to see one of his old rivals for the first time in months. "Yo, Kuno! Long time no see!"

"Silence! You...you vile cretin! Because of you, my dear Akane Tendo has vanished!" the elder Kuno sibling snarled angrily.

"W-what?! Hey, get your facts straight, moron!" Ranma shot back at him. "First of all, that wasn't totally my fault! And why are you just findin' out about it now?! It's been months since then!"

"Enough! The time for words is over, Saotome!" Kuno declared, gripping his sword with both hands. "You shall duel me this instant!"

In his rage, Tatewaki Kuno didn't notice that Shampoo was stomping toward him from his left side. Already annoyed that her moment with Ranma had been interrupted and that her restaurant's door was going to need repairs, she grabbed hold of Kuno's ear and screamed into it as loudly as she could.

"WHAT YOU THINK YOU DOING?!"

"Augh!!" Kuno cried, holding his hand over the side of his head as he backed away. "The ears, woman!"

"You shut up!" Shampoo chided him. "You already break door, you stupid! If you want fight then go outside!"

The confused Kuno glanced briefly at the door he'd kicked in before looking back at his nemesis.

"She's got a point, man," Ranma shrugged.

"Very well then!" Kuno declared. "Meet me under the sun, Saotome, and we shall settle this like men!"

While Kuno hopped back over the counter and rushed outside, Ranma appeared overjoyed at the prospect of fighting him again.

"Man, this is great!" he exclaimed happily. "I ain't got to fight anyone but Pop since my arm finished healin' up. I can't wait for this!"

Still steaming, Shampoo folded her arms and gave Ranma a stern look. "You go teach that stupid boy lesson!"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," he smiled back at her. "I'll be back."

After the pigtailed boy had left, Shampoo shook her head as she stared down at the broken door.

"That boy show up at worst time...hmph!"

* * *

Walking around in her pink waitress outfit, Ringo took a short detour through a nearby park on her way home to the Tendo household. Although she didn't mention it to anyone, her incident of collapsing after getting chills at the Cat Café a couple of weeks ago had frayed her nerves a bit. A quick visit to Dr. Tofu confirmed that there was nothing physically wrong with her, but she still couldn't shake an eerie feeling she had about the whole ordeal. Taking a stroll through the park and sitting by its pond had a way of calming her down, which was just what she needed at the moment.

"It sure is nice today," she smiled as she looked up at the trees.

But then, as the redheaded girl looked ahead again, she saw something that made her yelp and freeze with fear. Strolling toward her in a black dress, an all too familiar raven-haired girl filled Ringo's heart with a familiar feeling of concern that she hadn't had to deal with in a long while.

"K-K-Kodachi..." the waitress' voice shook.

Back when Ranma was still missing, Kodachi had launched a relentless series of attacks on Ringo that were always thwarted thanks to the protection of Akane and Ukyou. This time, however, Ringo was alone, and there was no telling what kind of mood Kodachi was in.

As the Black Rose of St. Hebereke came closer, Ringo quickly readied herself to evade any sudden attacks that may come her way. But, much to her surprise, those attacks never came. Ringo nervously watched as Kodachi approached her without even turning a glance her way. Then, before she knew it, Kodachi had already passed her by and continued walking off in the other direction.

"She...ignored me?" Ringo said aloud. "Wow, that's different...thank goodness."

Before she headed over to the pond, the girl with the red ponytail looked back one more time at the direction where Kodachi had gone. She wasn't sure how she felt about being ignored, but she figured it was all for the best. Better that than being attacked, after all.

Meanwhile, as Kodachi walked along the park path, memories from earlier that year began to flood back into her mind.

"That woman...was the pigtailed girl..." she said aloud, taking a deep breath as she placed a hand over her face. "I...I never should have come here. I did not want to see that woman agai-oof!"

Without warning, Kodachi abruptly collided with someone and was knocked onto her backside.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a girl screamed down at her. "What if my sunglasses broke?! Do you have any idea how much these cost?!"

Agitated by the attitude of the girl, Kodachi raised her head to see who was berating her.

"Oh? Well...look what we have here," the girl smirked. "It's the most over-hyped gymnast in history."

Kodachi's expression turned to one of shock as she became aware of just who she'd run into. The girl, who had medium-length brown hair with short bangs in front, was wearing some sleek sunglasses with a silver frame along with a white t-shirt and shorts. The way she looked and spoke exuded a condescending attitude that would put even that of the Kuno family to the test.

"...Kiriko...Nakajima..." Kodachi slowly mouthed.

"The one, the only, the greatest and most beautiful creature ever to walk the planet," Kiriko said, striking an arrogant pose. "Oh, Kodachi, it's been such a long time. I still remember the day I shocked the world by beating you. Honestly, I don't know why everyone was shocked though. I mean, it's obvious that it was the natural outcome."

Running into Ringo was one thing, but running into this woman was the worst thing possible for Kodachi's mindset as she remained on the ground taking a verbal lashing.

"I guess it was just because you were supposed to be the next big thing in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation," Kiriko laughed at her. "What a joke that was! You didn't even make it to the semifinals of the tournament!"

Tired of Kiriko running her mouth, Kodachi shot her a nasty look. "What...what do you want with me?!"

"What do I want? I don't want anything from a failure like you," the brown-haired gymnast scoffed, brushing her hair back. "The Queen of Extreme Tournament, Kodachi. In three days I'm going to qualify for it, and easily I might add. Then, once it's all over and I'm the last one standing, I'll be the champion! Imagine a vision of beauty like myself with that gorgeous gold belt around my waist...oh, it's going to be perfect! Not that a loser like you would know anything about that."

With another slew of insults being thrown her way, Kodachi was beginning to shake from the anger welling up inside her. "Do not...speak down to me like that..."

"Why not? I think it suits you perfectly," Kiriko said with a devious smile. "All that hype, and you ran away from the EGF like a scared little kitty after one loss."

"Your trainer must be so disappointed in you..."

Kiriko's last jab finally pushed Kodachi over the edge. Furious at the remark, the Black Rose shot to her feet and reached into her dress to pull out a ribbon.

But, with a wicked smirk on her face, Kiriko pulled her own ribbon out from her back in a flash and whipped Kodachi directly in the eye before she could even wield her own weapon.

"Ahhh-!" Kodachi cried, falling to her knees while grasping at her eye. "How...how dare you-!"

Seeming quite pleased with what she'd just done, the egotistic Kiriko put her ribbon away and shook her head as she looked down at her fallen opponent.

"Oh, how the overrated have fallen..." she grinned. "Just think, Kodachi, I'm going to be a huge star someday. But you...when everything's said and done, no one will ever remember your name."

Her point made, Kiriko proudly jogged by the once dominant gymnast, leaving her wounded both physically and mentally.

The injured Kodachi, with her mind in a state of disarray, stumbled over to a large tree and leaned up against it for a brief moment before collapsing to the ground in tears. Losing to Kiriko Nakajima during her brief stint in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation had hurt her ego. Losing her love interest, Ranma Saotome, to Shampoo had hurt it even more. But being not only ridiculed and talked down to, but defeated by Kiriko yet again on this day had crushed her spirit completely.

Holding her hands over her aching eye, Kodachi wept uncontrollably into the ground.

"Why?! Why has this happened to me?! What have I done to deserve this?!" she cried.

Overwhelmed with frustration, both at herself and at Kiriko, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke let out a bloodcurdling scream, startling humans and animals alike as her pain echoed throughout the Nerima Ward of Tokyo.

* * *

After her trip through the park, Ringo made her way back to the Tendo household and slipped her shoes off as she closed the door behind her.

"I'm home!"

From over by the television, Nabiki peeked over her shoulder to greet the redheaded girl. "Hey there. Welcome home."

"Nabiki!" Ringo beamed excitedly. "I didn't know you were coming home today."

"I thought I'd surprise everyone," Nabiki smiled. "Besides, you can never take too many breaks away from Kuno baby."

"Isn't it nice? You should have seen how happy Father was," Kasumi laughed as she walked in from the kitchen. "Welcome home, Ringo."

"Thanks, Kasumi," the waitress happily replied.

Kasumi and Dr. Tofu had originally planned on holding their wedding this summer, but things changed with the unexpected departure of Akane. While Kasumi had told everyone that she wanted to put off the wedding so that Akane could be there to see it, she also didn't want to leave Ringo to take care of Soun all by herself. Thus, the wedding was indefinitely on hold until Akane returned, and while Dr. Tofu was disappointed, he was also very understanding of the situation.

"Ooh, you'll never guess who I saw on my way home!" Ringo said.

Overhearing the conversation, an emotional Soun Tendo burst into the room and directed his attention toward Ringo. "Please tell me it was Akane!"

"Umm...no, it wasn't. Sorry, Mr. Tendo," Ringo said with a nervous laugh.

"Come on now, Daddy. She said she'd be back eventually," Nabiki told her father. "You know how she is. I'm sure she's just fine."

"I know, but I get so lonely without Akane here..." Soun wept into his sleeve.

"Nabiki's right, Father. She'll be back before you know it," Kasumi consoled him. "Besides, Ringo seems to have gained some of Akane's traits from her, don't you think?"

Nabiki nodded her head in agreement. "Remember how shy and quiet she used to be when she first came here? Then she started being friends with Akane and picked up some of her 'tude. Now she's a lot more energetic, and she even complains about things. It's almost like Akane never left."

Ringo's cheeks turned red with embarrassment at the assessment. "I'm so sorry! Do I come off as being rude?!"

"No no, Ringo. It actually makes you seem much more normal," Kasumi giggled at the redhead. "So, who was it that you saw today?"

"Oh! While I was walking through the park, I saw Kodachi!" Ringo explained.

"That nutcase gymnast that used to attack you? I haven't seen her in forever," Nabiki thought aloud. "Did she go all crazy on you again?"

"No, that's the thing," the waitress scratched her head, "she didn't even seem to notice me, even though we walked right past each other..."

Kasumi placed a finger on her cheek as she pondered the gymnast's actions. "Well, she stopped attacking you when Ranma came back, right? She's probably just moved on with her life since then."

"That's good to hear," Soun said with a smile, apparently over his concern for Akane for the moment. "One less worry for you. Right, Ringo?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Ringo replied halfheartedly.

Nabiki had a sly grin on her face as she glanced over at the girl with the ponytail. "Or maybe...you're upset that she didn't pay any attention to you?"

"What?! Of course not!" Ringo shot back at her. "Why would you say that?"

The middle Tendo daughter shrugged her shoulders in response. "Just curious is all."

"It was really stressful having her ambush me all the time!" Ringo pouted. "I'm glad it's over..."

"That's right. Now you can worry about more important things, like school," Soun said in agreement.

"Ringo, I was about to start making dinner. Why don't you go take a bath?" Kasumi suggested. "Dinner should be ready by the time you're finished."

"Ahh, that's a good idea," the redhead said as she stood up. "I'll go get cleaned up, then."

Once Ringo had gone upstairs, Nabiki had a brief chuckle at her expense. "You know, she might have picked up some of Akane's attitude, but Ringo has her own unique charm. Don't you think?"

"Yes, she certainly does," Kasumi laughed as she walked into the kitchen.

Soun simply nodded his head as he picked up the newspaper and began reading, at least until he heard the sound of a man's scream coming from outside.

"Hmm...I wonder who that is," he said, turning his head toward the garden.

Nabiki, along with her father, watched as none other than Tatewaki Kuno came soaring through the sky and plunged into their koi pond with a loud splash.

While the swordsman floated to the pond's surface, his business partner could only shake her head in annoyance.

"Good grief, Kuno baby," Nabiki sighed as she got up to go fish him out. "Even on my break I can't get away from you..."

* * *

"Ahh, that was good..."

After taking her bath and eating dinner with the Tendo family, the cheerful Ringo, who had changed into a pink t-shirt and a blue pair of jean shorts, headed upstairs to her room to finish up some homework that needed to be completed by tomorrow.

Although she didn't think much of it at first, the comment Nabiki had made earlier about being disappointed over Kodachi ignoring her seemed to stick in the redhead's mind. She was certainly glad that the conniving gymnast had stopped launching surprise attacks on her, but maybe, just maybe, being ignored by Kodachi _was_ a bit of a letdown.

"_I don't know why a thing like that would bother me,_" Ringo thought to herself, lightly shrugging her shoulders. "_Oh well, it's all over anyway. Time to forget about it and move on._"

Once Ringo got to her room and opened the door, she immediately noticed that something was out of place from earlier.

"That's weird. Did I leave the window open?" she asked herself, feeling confused.

Not too concerned about it, the girl with the red ponytail quietly slid the door shut behind her and started walking over toward the window to close it.

Then, from out of nowhere, a small object flew right by Ringo's nose and embedded itself into the wall, drawing a gasp from the startled waitress. Quickly checking to see what almost hit her, she was alarmed to find a single black rose sticking out of the wall.

"A...a black...rose..." her voice trembled.

Taking a loud gulp, Ringo nervously turned her head to the other side of the room to see where the rose came from. With one glance, her greatest fear was confirmed.

"K-Kodachi-!"

There, with only one side of her face visible from the way she was standing, was Kodachi Kuno. Still wearing her black dress, which was now dirtied from her breakdown earlier, the disheveled gymnast looked none too happy as she glared at the redhead. Shocked and horrified to see Kodachi standing in her room, Ringo's first instinct was to hurry to the door and run away. But, just as she turned to escape, another black rose soared by the tip of her nose and planted itself into the wall, stopping her in her tracks.

Panicked, Ringo tried to run again, but her dark-haired attacker had already closed in on her. As Ringo quickly covered her head to protect herself, Kodachi slammed her palms against the wall on both sides of the frightened waitress to trap her.

After a few nerve-wracking, but quiet seconds, Ringo, surprised that she hadn't been struck yet, slowly opened one eye and peeked out from behind her arms. Kodachi, she noticed, had her head lowered so that her face wasn't visible. She wouldn't remain in that position for long, though. Her body shaking, the Black Rose raised her head to look at the red-haired girl, and gave her a glimpse of what she'd gone through earlier in the process.

A look of concern replaced the scared expression on Ringo's face as she saw that the area around Kodachi's right eye was extremely red and swollen. So swollen, in fact, that she had no doubt Kodachi could barely see out of it. Ringo had no idea what was going on, but what she did know was that the dark-haired woman looked to be hurt, and, so far at least, she hadn't laid a hand on her.

"U-um...your eye...what...happened...?"

Kodachi narrowed her gaze as she continued staring at the redheaded girl. "I sneak in here and come after you...and you are worried about my eye?"

"Well...it looks like it hurts," Ringo cautiously told her.

Lowering her head again, a pained-looking Kodachi let her hands slip down from the wall, gradually backing up until she was in the middle of the room.

"My eye is not your concern," she said angrily.

Now with some breathing room between Kodachi and herself, Ringo lowered her guard slightly and blinked as she tried to figure out her intruder's motive.

"Okay...then why are you here?"

"I-" Kodachi began to speak, clenching her fists tightly as she hesitated to spit out what she wanted to say. "I...I need...a favor..."

"What?!" Ringo said, perturbed by the woman's audacity. "You spent all those months attacking me, you break into my room and throw roses into my wall, and now you're asking me for a favor?!"

"I did not want to come to you, of all people, but you are the only one who can possibly help me!" Kodachi snapped back at her. "Do not make this more difficult for me than it already is, you contemptible girl!"

Starting to show her seldom-seen irritated side, Ringo folded her arms and shot Kodachi a cross look. "Calling me contemptible isn't helping!"

The Black Rose, trying to keep focused on her goal, reluctantly swallowed her pride and backed off from her words.

"My...apologies," she grudgingly replied. "Will you hear my request?"

Ringo couldn't believe her ears. She never thought in a million years that Kodachi would apologize to her for anything. She was still a bit angry, but the apology had lightened her mood considerably. Besides which, it just wasn't in her nature to be angry with people.

"Fine. What is it?" Ringo finally asked.

"There...is a martial arts rhythmic gymnastics tournament occurring soon," Kodachi calmly explained. "I have an old score I wish to settle at this tournament with someone I despise with every fiber of my being, but I am ill-prepared to compete. I am poorly conditioned, and...I have no second to aid me."

The perplexed redhead was starting to understand where this was going. "Are you...asking me to be your second?"

"That is...correct," Kodachi confirmed.

"That's crazy!" Ringo quickly protested. "I'm not a gymnast...!"

Kodachi, unfortunately, wasn't buying the excuse. "Do not play dumb with me! Were you not the one who once defeated me in a match?! You are perfectly capable and you know it, girl!"

"But that wasn't me!" Ringo tried to explain, but it then occurred to her that she _was_ technically still a part of Ranma at the time of the match. "Well...I guess it was, in a way, but still...wouldn't someone from your school's club be better?!"

"No," the determined gymnast quickly answered. "I have not spoken to my team members in quite some time, and I have no doubt they have even chosen a new captain in my absence. As I said, you are, regrettably, the only one who can aid me."

Ringo gently leaned back against the wall of her room as she began pondering what she should do.

"P-...please..." Kodachi very uncharacteristically pleaded, again forgoing her pride to attain the help she needed.

The plea came as even more of a shock to the young redhead than the earlier apology had. And, as it turned out, it made a difference in Ringo making up her mind.

"Ringo," she said, drawing a curious look from the Black Rose. "My name is Ringo, not _girl_. If you call me by my name, then...I'll...help you."

After taking a few moments to ponder the terms laid upon her, Kodachi slowly pulled a rose out from her dress and flicked it over to the waiting hands of the Cat Café's waitress.

"I shall accept those conditions...Ringo."

With the single rose landing in her palms, Ringo watched as the younger Kuno sibling wasted no time hopping up onto the windowsill to take her leave.

"I assume you have classes tomorrow," Kodachi said, looking back at her new second. "Sasuke will be waiting outside your school to bring you to the estate once you are dismissed. The qualifying event for the tournament is a mere three days from now, so we must prepare with haste."

"Wait, right after school?!" Ringo shrieked. "But I have to-!"

"I will not accept anything less than complete devotion!" Kodachi quickly interrupted, a newly found fire burning in her eyes.

Without allowing the red-haired girl to get in another word, Kodachi Kuno then leaped out the window and disappeared into the night.

All by herself again, Ringo leaned back against the wall and slid down until she came to a sitting position. Staring at the black rose resting in her hands, she could only wonder just what kind of trouble she'd brought upon herself.

"Me? Kodachi's second? What in the world are you thinking, Ringo...?"

* * *

**End of Chapter 1**


	27. QoE: Weak

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

With the sun shining down in the late afternoon of an early June day, three friends strolled out the doors of Furinkan High to freedom after another long day of classes.

"Uwaa...it sure is nice out," Ringo Saotome beamed cheerfully. Naturally, she was the only one of the three who actually wore her school uniform like she was supposed to. "So, how did you two do on the Japanese history test?"

Behind her, Ranma and Ukyou cringed at the memory of the earlier exam.

"Lousy," the pigtailed boy muttered.

"I don't think I did that great either..." Ukyou sulked.

"Really?" Ranma asked, perking up a bit. "Well that's good. Least I ain't the only one that did bad."

The okonomiyaki chef chuckled a little at her childhood friend's reaction. "Go failures!"

Ringo looked on with disapproval as the two shared a high-five to celebrate their poor grades. "Come on, you guys. You shouldn't be proud of that. If you want, I could help tutor you to get your grades back up."

Neither Ranma nor Ukyou seemed too enthused about the offer.

"That sounds like lots of fun, but I need to go get the restaurant ready for tonight, Sugar," Ukyou told her, quick to avoid the possibility of any painful tutoring sessions. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"'Kay. See ya, Ucchan," Ranma said to her.

"Bye, Ukyou!" Ringo waved.

After her classmate had left to tend to her business, the girl with the perky red ponytail let out an audible sigh that caught the attention of her former male half.

"What's wrong with you?" Ranma asked.

Ringo had thus far avoided letting Ranma know about her unusual agreement with Kodachi, nervous about how he might react to the prospect of her missing some time at the Cat Café , but she didn't have the luxury of putting it off any longer.

"Well-"

"Hey..." Ranma interrupted her all of a sudden, coming to a stop while staring closely at something beyond the school's gates. "Ain't that...Kuno's rickshaw thing?"

Looking to see what the pigtailed boy was talking about, Ringo was both surprised and dismayed to see that the Kuno family's rickshaw was, indeed, sitting out by the gates, just as Kodachi had promised.

"Oh gosh, she wasn't joking. She really did send someone to get me..." she pouted, drawing a curious look from Ranma.

"Huh? The heck's goin' on?" he asked.

Once he'd spotted his target, the Kuno family's servant popped out from the rickshaw and rushed over to Ringo, kneeling before her like she was an angel sent from above.

"Greetings, Miss Ringo!" Sasuke said excitedly, only to sour a bit as he noticed who was standing next to her. "And...Ranma Saotome."

"Yo, Sasuke! How's Kuno doin'?" Ranma asked the subservient ninja.

"Resting comfortably at home, no thanks to you!" Sasuke snapped back at him before turning his attention to the redheaded girl again. "Forgive me, Miss Ringo, but Mistress Kodachi has been a bit impatient today. If you don't mind, shall we get going?"

While Ringo stood twiddling her fingers, looking very hesitant to go along with him, Ranma was fast becoming annoyed with his lack of understanding in this entire situation.

"Okay, I must've missed somethin' important. Someone mind tellin' me just what the heck's happening here?!" he demanded.

With a pained groan, Ringo realized that it was finally time to explain herself.

"Well...last night, Kodachi came to Mr. Tendo's house and asked me to help her with a gymnastics tournament of hers..."

"Kodachi?!" Ranma asked in disbelief, knowing well the history between the twisted gymnast and Ringo. "I thought she couldn't stand you..."

"She can't," Ringo sighed. "She must really not like the person she's after if she's asking for my help. I...I tried to tell her that I had to work, but she ran off before I could!"

"I figured as much..." Sasuke hung his head in shame. "But...Mistress Kodachi is more energetic than I've seen her in months! It's so wonderful to see her inspired again after all she's been through! I can't thank you enough!"

"_All she's been through, huh..._" Ranma thought to himself, having a fairly good idea of what Sasuke meant by that. He hadn't seen Kodachi since that night she stumbled away from the Cat Café, and there was probably a pretty good reason for that, he figured.

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts quietly glanced over at Ringo, who looked extremely uncomfortable despite Sasuke's gratitude toward her. Folding his arms over his chest, the pigtailed boy pondered the dilemma to himself for a moment before addressing his former female half.

"You wanna help her, Ringo?" he asked.

"W-well...I said I would..." the redhead meekly replied.

Briefly nodding his head, Ranma then turned to Sasuke for some information. "Hey, you know when this thing starts?"

"O-oh, yes! The qualifying event for the tournament is being held in the evening two days from now. If Mistress Kodachi qualifies, she would then have matches at certain intervals afterward, though I'm afraid I don't know the specific dates yet," the Kuno family servant explained.

"Qualifyin's in two days, huh? Alright, that settles it then," Ranma said, flashing an approving look in Ringo's direction. "Take a couple days off and go help 'er out, Ringo. Me and Shampoo can handle the restaurant 'til then."

The young waitress seemed aghast at the suggestion. "But...but I never miss work...!"

"Yeah, no kiddin'. You've worked like every day since Shampoo reopened the place," Ranma sarcastically pointed out to her. "Go do what ya gotta do. We'll be okay."

Ringo solemnly lowered her head and looked down at the ground, not sure what to make of all this. "Well...if it's not a problem, I guess I could go..."

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much!" an overjoyed Sasuke told her as Ranma began to walk off.

"I'm gonna get goin' then," the pigtailed martial artist briefly waved his hand. "See ya tomorrow, Ringo. Don't get too banged up over there."

"I'll try not to. Bye, Ranma..." Ringo waved back to him with a hint of sadness in her voice. Even with Ranma's blessing, she still couldn't help feeling bad about missing her job duties for the first time since she'd started being the Cat Café's waitress.

"We should hurry, Miss Ringo. Mistress Kodachi is going to be upset if we arrive any later," Sasuke informed her.

"Right," Ringo said, taking a close look at the rickshaw as she followed him. "We're going on this? I feel bad having you pull me there, though..."

The subservient ninja was quick to dismiss any guilty feelings she may have had. "Please do not worry! It is my duty as a servant to the Kuno family! If I can get you to Mistress Kodachi even a second earlier then any effort is well worthwhile!"

"Mmm...if you put it that way..." Ringo replied, still sounding a bit unsure.

Once his passenger had settled into her seat, Sasuke took his place at the front of the contraption and firmly grabbed hold of the bar at his chest.

"Hold on tight, Miss Ringo! Here we go!"

Taking off with unexpectedly high speed, Ringo's head jerked back as the rickshaw blazed down the street with her red ponytail blowing in the wind behind her.

* * *

Inside the Cat Café restaurant, which was beginning its daily spurt of afternoon business from students stopping by for a snack after school, Shampoo was leaning up against the counter with her eyes fixated on the clock high atop the wall.

"Is almost time now..." she said with an amused smile.

As the young Amazon warrior had found out during her tenure at the restaurant, there were several people who had unbreakable daily routines, virtually guaranteeing their arrival at exact times of the day.

"Five, four, three, two, one..."

Just like clockwork, the door to the Cat Café creaked open just as Shampoo's countdown ended, and in walked the familiar girl with long, blonde hair that she'd become accustomed to over the past few months.

"Nihao," Shampoo waved to her.

"Hey," Alysse smiled back, dropping her gym bag on the floor next to her usual table. "How's business?"

"Is like always," the lavender-haired girl replied, placing a ready-made glass of ice water on the table as her customer sat down. "Now wait for other one..."

Alysse felt embarrassed as she saw Shampoo direct her attention up at the wall clock. "Oh god, did I show up at the same time again? I still can't believe I do that. I'll have to change things up one of these days to throw you off."

"But that no is fun for Shampoo," the restaurant's manager joked. "Now...five, four, three, two, one..."

*_..._*

Seconds passed by as Shampoo and Alysse stared at the door, waiting for the expected arrival of the restaurant's energetic waitress. This, however, appeared to be a rare instance where Shampoo's clockwork theory was proven false.

"Ahh..." she grumbled, double-checking the clock to make sure she had the right time. "Ringo make Shampoo look silly. Where that girl at?"

Perhaps having her answer, Shampoo took notice as the door suddenly began to creak open. The Saotome that entered wasn't the one she was expecting, though.

"Yo, I'm back," Ranma stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Ah-! Ranma!" Shampoo hopped over to him, gleefully wrapping her arms around his neck. "No think you ever get here before Ringo."

"First time for everything," he told her, tossing his schoolbag behind the kitchen counter. "Ringo's gonna be busy with somethin', so she's takin' a few days off."

Sitting at the table next to them, the mention of the redheaded waitress's absence grabbed the full attention of Alysse, who spun around and glared at Ranma as if he'd just told some sort of cruel joke.

Shampoo, likewise, appeared stunned at the unusual news. "Aiyaa...hell freeze over. Ringo never miss work before...she no even come late one time. Some bad thing happen?"

"Nah. I guess Kodachi asked her to help with some gymnastics thing," Ranma explained.

"That crazy girl?" a further confused Amazon teen asked. "Shampoo think that one no like Ringo..."

"Yeah, me too, but whatever," Ranma shrugged. "Sounds like they might be at it 'til the middle of the week, so it's just you and me here for a few days."

Quick to spot the upside of any situation, Shampoo hopped up into Ranma's arms with a bright gleam in her eyes.

"That no is good. What ever we do by selves?" she playfully responded, nuzzling her head against the pigtailed boy's cheek. "Ah...boy customer no be happy if boy Ranma serve food though..."

A quick glance at Alysse's glass of ice water produced a devious smile on the face of the lavender-haired girl, a sure sign that a plan was forming in her sometimes mischievous mind. And, as in some instances, this was one of those times where Ranma could read her like a book.

"No way! I ain't doin' it! Don't even think about it!" he immediately protested.

"But girl Ranma look just like Ringo. Is perfect," Shampoo tried to persuade him. "You no care about business?"

"Not THAT much I don't! I already had to be a waitress for that old hag once and I ain't doin' it again!" Ranma declared.

"...she's not coming..."

The debate between the two martial artists came to an end as they both watched a troubled-looking Alysse rise from her seat and pick up her gym bag.

"Alysse leave already?" Shampoo asked with a surprised tone.

The blonde-haired girl turned her back to the Cat Cafe's manager, hiding the conflicted expression on her face. "I'm...not very hungry tonight. I'll see you another time..."

Leaving her glass still filled with water, Alysse hurried to the door and promptly left the restaurant for the day.

"Huh...that's weird," Ranma blinked his eyes.

"Ringo-!"

Calling out the name of the absent waitress, none other than Ukyou Kuonji suddenly burst into the Cat Café looking as though she were in a hurry. Holding a notebook in her hand, she was hoping to find Ringo standing before her, but instead found herself staring at a sight that made her stomach churn.

As the look on the okonomiyaki chef's face soured, Ranma, who was standing there with Shampoo in his arms, quickly set her down before addressing his childhood friend.

"H-hey! Ucchan...!" he greeted her, nervously rubbing the back of his head. "What's up?"

"Is Ringo here?" Ukyou asked, the displeasure evident in her voice.

"Ringo? Uh...nah, she's busy tonight..." Ranma told her.

"Oh, I see," Ukyou coldly replied, holding up the notebook in her hand. "I forgot to give this back to her today, but I guess I'll go drop it off at the Tendo's place."

After turning toward the door, Ranma's former fiancée looked back over her shoulder and shot both the pigtailed boy and Shampoo an icy glare. "Sorry for interrupting you. Please, continue."

Ranma cringed with remorse as he watched Ukyou storm back out the door of the restaurant. It was unintended and certainly within the rights of he and his girlfriend, but he still regretted that Ukyou had to see he and Shampoo acting so close.

"Spatula Girl still mad..." Shampoo said.

"Seems like it," Ranma groaned, rubbing his hand against his forehead to alleviate a fast-growing headache. "Guess it ain't somethin' that's just gonna go away so soon..."

* * *

"Hang on! We're almost there!"

Surrounded by a cloud of dust, the Kuno family's rickshaw nearly tipped over as it soared around a street corner with Sasuke at the helm. Right now, the only thing on the mind of the subservient ninja was to get his passenger to his mistress as quickly as possible, and neither passing vehicles nor pedestrians were going to stand in his way.

With the Kuno Estate coming into view, Sasuke pulled the rickshaw through one last intersection and labored to maneuver it over an incline in the road before finally bringing it to a stop in front of the main gate.

Panting loudly, he let go of the handle and wearily dropped to his knees. "We...we made it...!"

As he turned around to check on his noticeably quiet guest, Sasuke found a wide-eyed and frazzled-looking Ringo gripping both sides of the rickshaw tightly from having to hold on for dear life during the ride. Her hair now a complete mess, the girl in the Furinkan school uniform slowly looked down at her chauffeur and batted her eyes.

"Next time...maybe don't go _quite_ so fast...?" she asked, her hands shaking as she let go of the contraption.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry about that. I was instructed to hurry in bringing you here, that's all," Sasuke apologized, catching his breath as he directed the redhead to the gate. "Please, come along."

After grabbing her schoolbag, the still unnerved Ringo carefully climbed out of the rickshaw and followed Sasuke inside.

"Please avoid straying from where I walk, and try not to touch anything either. One wrong move and you might set off one of our many defense mechanisms," the Kuno family servant told her.

"Oh, don't worry. I remember," she replied.

Sasuke looked slightly confused as he glanced back at her, but quickly realized what she meant. "That's right, I suppose you have been here before. How silly of me."

Ringo may not have actually been to the Kuno Estate before, but Ranma had, and some of his unfortunate experiences with the traps were lingering in Ringo's mind as she and Sasuke made their way indoors.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Ringo said while they walked.

"Yes, of course," Sasuke nodded.

"Before...you said you were happy to see Kodachi inspired after everything she'd been through. What did you mean by that?" Ringo asked.

Sasuke seemed uncomfortable with answering the question, but tried to respond appropriately as best he could. "W-well...I'm not sure the mistress would want me to say, exactly. But...let's just say she didn't handle the news of Ranma Saotome and Shampoo very well."

A sad expression came over Ringo's face as she began to remember what her friend, Akane, was like on the night she ran away. Thanks to Ukyou, Ringo knew that Kodachi, too, was outside the restaurant that night and saw Ranma kiss Shampoo with her own two eyes. And if Akane was that torn up about it then she could only imagine that Kodachi's reaction was painfully similar.

"I had no idea..." the red-haired girl said quietly. "I didn't see her for such a long time...I thought she just moved on."

"If only that were the case..." Sasuke shook his head, directing her to stop as they came up to a staircase that lead downward. "Here we are, Miss Ringo. Mistress Kodachi is waiting for you down there."

Nervously peering down, Ringo saw nothing but darkness at the bottom of the staircase. "Down there...?"

"Yes. Please don't worry, it's safe," Sasuke assured her. "Oh! Just make sure you skip over the third step. That one triggers something...unpleasant."

"O-okay..."

Making her way down the stairs, Ringo very carefully passed over the third step and stood still on the next step down for a moment just to make sure everything was in order.

"Seems fine," she said, sounding relieved as she looked up at Sasuke again. "I'll go on ahead, then. Thank you."

"My pleasure," the subservient ninja nodded back at her. But just as he was about to leave, it struck him that he'd forgotten one very important detail about the staircase. "Oh, no! Wait! Don't step on the eighth stair-!"

Ringo had no time to react as her foot came down on the eighth step, triggering the entire staircase to open up like a trap door.

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-!!"

The young girl's surprised scream trailed off as she disappeared into one of the many pitfalls of the Kuno household, leaving a pained Sasuke to drop to his knees with regret at the top of the staircase.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Miss Ringo!"

Down below, Ringo continued her free fall, using her hands to hold down her uniform skirt so that it wouldn't obstruct her vision.

"Somebody help me!! Huh...?"

After a brief fall through the darkness, something was finally coming into view at the bottom of the pit.

"That's...a funnel...?"

Awaiting Ringo down below was a gigantic metal funnel that spanned the entire circumference of the pit. Bracing herself, the red-haired girl made contact with the funnel's sloped edge and was redirected down into a small chute.

Trying to gain some control of herself, she placed her schoolbag underneath her and used it as a cushion as her downward slide continued. "Okay, that's a little better...! But where is this thing taking me?!"

The chute made a sharp right, then a sharp left, and finally took a 2-foot dip that left Ringo with a sore bottom as she hit the lower level and kept on heading downward. From here on the path appeared to straighten out, which gave her hope that the ride was almost over.

"Come on! Somebody stop...this..."

As she looked ahead, the young waitress suddenly spotted what looked like a white rug obstructing the chute's path. She wasn't quite sure what its purpose was, but she did know she was on a collision course with it, and that definitely wasn't a good thing.

"Eeeeek!!"

Crossing her arms over her face to protect herself, Ringo slammed right through what turned out to be a giant furry pelt that was heavily doused with flour. With the ride continuing on, she slowly lowered her arms and gasped at the sight of her uniform completely covered in the white cooking material.

"My...my uniform..." she sobbed.

Unfortunately, her dirty clothes had distracted her from the fact that she was about to collide with another one of the pelts. Without the time to defend herself, she crashed into a second one, which not only gave her uniform another coating of flour, but her face as well.

"Blech!" she coughed, spitting out some of the flour that had gotten in her mouth. "This is so mean! Get me out of here! I mean it!"

And, as if things weren't bad enough already, Ringo's spirit sank as she saw not an exit ahead of her, but a third flour-covered pelt.

"No! Not again-!"

_*fwap!*_

Given another fresh dose of flour to deal with, Ringo held on as the chute then began a spiraling motion with an increase in the slope, which resulted in her sliding down at an even faster rate.

"Yeeeep!! Too fast! Too fast!!"

Then, as the chute straightened out again, Ringo finally saw a light at the end. The only problem was that she was moving too fast to have any control over herself.

"Oh, please be a soft landing! Please be a soft landing!!"

Reaching the end of the chute, Ringo's eyes widened as she flew out into an open area...that happened to be 10 feet above the floor. Finding herself in a free fall yet again, she did what she could to soften the impact with the floor by rolling as she hit, but the momentum from the chute kept her rolling over and over again until she finally crashed into a wall and came to a stop face-down on the ground.

Emitting a loud groan after the ordeal she'd been through, Ringo let out another cry of pain as her schoolbag fell from the sky and landed on the back of her head. "Ouch..."

"What are you doing?"

With bits of flour crumbling from her face to the floor, Ringo slowly raised her head to see Kodachi standing with her arms folded before her. The dark-haired gymnast was dressed in the green leotard of the St. Hebereke Gymnastics Club, and the area around her injured eye, Ringo noticed, had turned a dark shade of red as it began the slow process of healing.

"You took the trap door down here? What are you, some sort of masochist?" Kodachi eyed her curiously. "There are perfectly good stairs for a reason. Use them next time."

"M-masochist?!" Ringo blushed as she peeled her flour-covered body off the floor. Even the most kindhearted people had breaking points, and the young waitress' buttons were being seriously pushed at the moment. "Now look...!"

It was only then that Ringo noticed the vast expanse of the room she'd fallen into. It was the height and width of a typical school gymnasium, if not a little bigger, and the entire thing, she quickly noticed, was absolutely covered in gymnastics tools. From racks sticking out of the floor to pegs protruding out from the walls to strings hanging down from the ceiling, a mind-boggling collection of ribbons, hoops, and other tools was scattered evenly throughout the area.

"Welcome. This is my personal dungeon," Kodachi formally greeted her.

"Dungeon? That's...kind of eerie, but...it sort of fits this place..." Ringo noted aloud.

"Indeed," Kodachi agreed, tossing the redhead a small towel to wipe her face off with. "Listen and listen well, for I will only explain this once. We are training to enter the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's annual Queen of Extreme Tournament."

Though it had been a while, the organization's name immediately rung a bell with Ringo. "Extreme Gymnastics Federation...that's...isn't that the same thing Ranma and Shampoo went to see? Oops-!"

Ringo hastily placed a hand over her mouth, shocked at the words she'd just uttered. She couldn't believe that she'd let a mention of Ranma and Shampoo slip out right in front of Kodachi, especially after what Sasuke had been telling her earlier.

"I-I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized.

"Yes...they did go there on that awful day," Kodachi sighed, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "And...the same ones who competed at that event will be among my opponents, all aiming for one of the 16 spots in the tournament. At the qualifying event, every entrant competes in short matches against others with only one randomly chosen basic type of tool at their disposal; either the ribbon, the club, the hoop, or the ball. That is why, for the time being at least, we shall train using only the basic tools."

Her face mostly wiped clean of the flour, Ringo began shaking some more of it out of her hair while trying to follow Kodachi's explanation. "Okay...so, what do you get if you win this tournament?"

"If you win...then you are the new champion," the Black Rose answered. "The current champion enters the tournament as well, but defeating her would only result in the championship being vacated until the tournament is over. Of course, I have no interest in any of that. There is only one thing I want...and that is Kiriko Nakajima."

"Kiriko? Is she the one who did that to your face?" Ringo asked her.

Shaking with anger, Kodachi brought her hand upward and placed it over her bruised eye. "This...this is the least of the damage that horrible woman has done to me! I will not stop until I unleash my vengeance on that harpy, and I expect your full dedication to this for just that purpose! Is that understood?!"

"I'll...try my best," the red-haired girl replied with a degree of uncertainty.

"Good," Kodachi said approvingly. "Did you bring your leotard?"

"Umm...I don't actually _own_ one, so I just wore my clothes from gym class underneath my uniform..." Ringo explained with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Gym clothes? Hmm...I suppose that will have to do for now. Hurry up and change so that we may begin sparring," the gymnast instructed her.

"Ehh? Sparring?" Ringo glanced over at her as she undid her blouse. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, we have to!" Kodachi snapped. "We have only two days until the qualifying event and sparring is the only way I can get into good enough shape to do well with such little time to prepare!"

The Cat Café's waitress didn't like the idea of direct combat, especially against someone as dangerous and unpredictable as Kodachi Kuno. She'd promised to help the determined gymnast though, and, for now, she was willing to do what it took to get her qualified for that tournament.

"I guess it's okay, then..." she said, kicking her flour-covered skirt out of harm's way. "Can I at least have some time to practice?"

"Practice?!" Kodachi shrieked. "You are unbelievable!"

"But it's been a really long time...!" Ringo insisted.

Trying not to lose her cool any further, the younger Kuno sibling sat down on the floor in a huff and folded her arms again with agitation.

"I will allow you ten minutes and not a second more!"

* * *

"He usually doesn't call us here at this time of day..."

"It's probably something to do with those bodies we found. This should be exciting..."

At a military base located just outside the city of Fuzhou on the east coast of China, Ryouga and Meilin had been summoned by General Khan, the man responsible for issuing all of their orders, for a yet unspecified reason. Given what they'd found inside the thick mist hovering over the Jusenkyo Springs just a day earlier, however, they had a reasonable hunch about why they were being called in.

Once they'd reached the General's office, Meilin, who had a history of showing disrespect since the day she was apprehended, didn't even bother to knock before opening the door and waltzing inside.

"_You wanted to see us?_" she asked in Mandarin as Ryouga closed the door behind them.

Looking up from a pile of papers on his desk, General Khan, who was a balding and heavy set older man in his 50's with a thick gray beard, shot a look of disapproval at his two visitors. "_You're late._"

"_And you're overweight,_" Meilin brashly insulted him. "_I know you're a busy man, General, but I'm sure even your fat ass could find 30 minutes of free time a day to do a little exercise._"

Irritated by the comment, the General's eye twitched as he glared coldly at the white-haired woman. "_That sharp tongue of yours is going to be the death of you. Don't forget that you're a prisoner who's lucky not to be rotting in a jail right now._"

"_Whatever,_" she shrugged. "_What did you call us here for?_"

General Khan grabbed a folder from one end of his desk and handed it over to Meilin. "_You were right, the guide for the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo was among the corpses you two found inside that mist. We're in the process of notifying his immediate family. As for the other five corpses, these are photos of their bodies._"

While Meilin opened the folder and began looking at the contents, Ryouga stepped in closer to get a better view.

"Hey, what are these?" he asked, hindered by his inability to comprehend the Mandarin language.

"Pictures of the bodies we found yesterday," Meilin explained, turning her attention back to the General for a moment. "_Speak in Japanese so Ryouga can understand you too._"

"_And why, exactly, should I have to cater to his needs?_" Khan protested.

"_Because if you don't, I'll have to repeat everything you say to him,_" Meilin told him. "_That's more annoying, don't you think?_"

After a brief moment of thought, the General slammed his palms down on his desk and leaned forward as he stared angrily at Ryouga.

"Learn to speak our language, dammit! That's an order!" he reluctantly barked in Japanese, gesturing to the photos that Meilin held while sitting back down. "Now both of you take a good look at those and tell me if anything catches your eye."

While not a pleasant sight, the two prisoners examined the photos closely as instructed. As they both soon noticed, there was one distinct feature that all of the bodies had in common.

"They all have the same tattoo, don't they?" Ryouga pointed out.

"You're right," Meilin agreed, looking up at General Khan again. "What is it?"

"That tattoo is the mark of a cult who, to our understanding, was out to bring a sorceress back from the dead," he carefully explained. "That sorceress went by the name of Jusenkyo."

The eyes of the woman from Nekonron widened at the mention of the name. "Jusenkyo...?"

"Ring any bells?" the General asked her.

Still fresh in the mind of Meilin was the conversation she'd had with Kirin at Seven Luck Mountain earlier in the year. As he'd told her, Yanlou, the black-colored scythe wielded by her deceased associate, Li, once belonged to the sorceress named Jusenkyo. And, as she'd personally witnessed, the spirit that emerged from the broken scythe cried out Jusenkyo's name before entering Ranma Saotome's body.

"It all sounds ridiculous and we'll have a hell of a time digging up any information, much less reliable information, on this supposed sorceress since 5000 years have apparently passed since her death. But...the water from all those springs disappearing and that mist hanging over the place are just too unusual to ignore," Khan told them.

As absurd as it all may have sounded, the things Ryouga saw at the springs left him a little more convinced than others that something supernatural had taken place there.

"Do you think she was resurrected?" he asked.

"And then what? She kills the ones who brought her back? That makes no sense," Meilin argued.

Leaning back in his chair, the General grabbed a cigar from a wooden box on his desk and lit it, blowing a puff of smoke into the air as he tossed another folder over to Meilin.

"I'm not sure what to make of this crap, but you two are going to find out for me. Your formal orders are in that folder," he told them. "You're being sent on a special assignment to find out if anyone left the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo the day this incident occurred and to track them down if you find anything."

"Fun," Meilin sarcastically commented.

"You'll be reporting in twice every day to inform us of your status and findings. Is that understood?" Khan asked them.

"Yeah, yeah..." Meilin nonchalantly answered.

"Good, you leave first thing tomorrow," the General instructed them. "And since you'll be given a certain degree of freedom with this mission, let me remind you both about something..."

With a cold smirk on his face, the older man leaned forward in his chair and gestured to the position locators on each of Ryouga's and Meilin's legs. "Keep in mind that those things are filled with a very lethal poison. You try to force them off, they activate and inject you with the poison. You'll be dead within an hour. Or, if you decide to disobey my orders or try to flee the country, I just press a little button here and you'll be injected with that poison wherever you are. Do you understand your positions?"

For Ryouga and Meilin, the locators were a cruel reminder that they were still prisoners despite not being anywhere near a prison facility.

After the not-so-pleasant departure from their meeting, the two of them began heading back to the barracks of the Orange Team to prepare for their new mission. While Meilin didn't think much of it, Ryouga looked much more interested in what they were doing than he had for any previous mission they'd been assigned.

"This is going to be a boring one," Meilin complained.

"Maybe, but I'm glad we get to look into it," Ryouga told her.

Intrigued, the white-haired woman raised an eyebrow as she glanced over at her unusually serious lover.

"You still feel bad about what happened to that guide, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"That sounds like you," Meilin smiled at him. "Alright, then. Back to the mist cloud we go."

* * *

Inside the lower levels of the Kuno Estate, the floor of Kodachi's training "dungeon" lay ridden with ribbons, clubs, and numerous other tools as the sparring session for the day came to a standstill. And in the middle of it all, the once heralded Black Rose of St. Hebereke was down on her hands and knees, covered in welts and desperately trying to catch her breath after the rigorous period of combat.

"You..." the winded Kodachi shot her second a venomous look, "you dared...*pant*...to insinuate...*pant*...that you r-...*pant*...required practice...?!"

Standing across from her, Ringo, too, was breathing heavily and feeling the sting of the ribbons that had whipped across her skin. But although she was standing on spaghetti legs at the moment, she was the only one was actually on her feet.

"What? I did!" she insisted. "I just...*pant*...I got used to them...*pant*...after a while..."

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Kodachi struggled to pull her exhausted body to its feet. Her legs were shaking, not wanting to move anymore, but the determined gymnast finally brought herself back to a standing position, albeit a very wobbly one.

"We...*pant*...we are done for the day..." she informed her training partner, stumbling past her as she made her way toward the staircase.

"Eh? We are?" Ringo asked, sounding somewhat confused. "But...*pant*...we can keep going if you want. I'm okay. Really..."

"Well how wonderful for YOU!" Kodachi angrily hissed back at her.

The young redhead jumped a bit at the surprising outburst. She genuinely had no idea why Kodachi was so upset all of a sudden. It was only as she watched the weary gymnast painstakingly walk away that she then realized which one of them it truly was that couldn't go on any longer.

"Oh! I-I'm sorr-!"

"Come over here...!" Kodachi shouted at her, still trying to catch her breath. "I will...*pant*...show you to...*pant*...our bathing area..."

Ringo blinked curiously as she looked over at her. "Bathing area...?"

"Yes, bathing area..." Kodachi impatiently replied. "Or would you rather...*pant*...go home covered in sweat?"

"N-no, of course not!" Ringo quickly answered, dropping the ribbon she'd been holding as she hurried over to follow the dark-haired girl.

After a slow ascent up the stairs that was pleasant for neither of them, and one where Ringo had to be reminded which steps to avoid due to the traps, the two of them began their stroll through the maze-like halls of the large estate toward the bath.

"This house is so big..." Ringo marveled at the home.

"Of course. We, as such an esteemed family, would accept nothing less as our living quarters," Kodachi boasted.

Then, as they came closer to the bathing area and turned into another hallway, a startled Ringo let out a shriek when she came face-to-face with what looked like a mummy in a kendo gi.

"W-w-what is that?!" she cried, cowering behind Kodachi.

"Plsh dn nnt bm mfrid," the creature mumbled incoherently from behind its bandages.

"Brother dear, what are you doing out of bed? You should be resting," Kodachi scolded her injured sibling.

With a perplexed expression on her face, Ringo stepped out from her hiding place and took a closer look at the man who was bandaged from head to toe. "Tatewaki?"

The elder Kuno brother lightly nodded his head, pulling his bandages away from his mouth so that he could speak. "My apologies, ponytailed girl. I had no intention of frightening you."

"Oh, no, it's okay. I should have recognized you," the redheaded Saotome laughed, feeling a bit silly. "I heard about what happened with Ranma. Sorry about that. He's been really...excited ever since he got his cast removed."

Tatewaki Kuno waved his hand a couple of times, brushing the issue aside. "Think nothing of it. It is but a mere scratch that the cretin was fortunate to have inflicted upon me. Next time he will not be so lucky."

"Enough, brother dear. You need rest to heal your wounds," Kodachi chided him again. "And Ringo and I will be using the bath, so please keep your distance."

"Yes, of course," Kuno responded, ready to head back to his room.

Before he left, however, the man once known as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High turned to Ringo to say one last thing.

"I thank you for taking care of my sister."

"Um...sure..."

While watching the proud Tatewaki Kuno walk off, Ringo couldn't help being somewhat impressed with him. "Even after being beaten so many times, he keeps getting back up and trying again..."

"Yes, my dear brother is admirably resilient," Kodachi said in agreement. "Sadly, I do not possess such a trait."

"Kodachi..."

"Come along, now. It is not much further."

The Black Rose quietly guided her second through the last small bit of the journey to the Kuno family bath, which promptly ended when they came upon two doors, one of which bore Kodachi's name and the other bearing that of her brother.

"You each have your own bath?" Ringo asked.

"Naturally. We both have our own tastes when it comes to the design," Kodachi calmly explained, very noticeably wincing in pain as she leaned forward to slide the door open. "Come in."

Upon entering Kodachi's personal bathing area, the sight before Ringo's eyes almost left her breathless. "Amazing, it's like a hot spring!"

Apart from the large bath, which very much resembled a natural hot spring, there was a forest of bamboo in the background along with a number of small decorations. There was also a washing area with a floor made of black cobblestone and that contained a number of wooden buckets and bottles of shampoo and soap. And, rather than having faucets, hot water streamed from the mouths of several lion's heads that were carved into the stone wall.

"Yes, it is a rather quaint place," Kodachi said, wincing again as she slid the door shut behind her.

After removing her school gym outfit and undergarments and tossing them aside, Ringo, who was looking over some of the bruises she'd gotten, was about to go wash herself off when she noticed the younger Kuno sibling cringing as she peeled the leotard from her body. And what struck the young redhead the most wasn't the numerous welts their sparring session had left, but the unbelievably frail state that Kodachi's body was in. Though she hadn't noticed it earlier, Kodachi's ribs were clearly visible from her abdomen, making it look as though she hadn't been eating regularly for quite some time.

Ringo may have been staring at the dark-haired gymnast's body just a bit too long, though, as Kodachi, who had just finished removing her leotard, was quick to notice the eyes of her new second upon her and get the wrong impression.

"Oh, so you are _that_ way, are you?" Kodachi shot her a stern look, strategically placing her hands over her private areas. "I shall have you know that the fruit of this body is not for your ogling pleasure!"

"Eh...?" Ringo gasped, blushing furiously when she realized what Kodachi meant. "N-no, that's not what I was-!"

"You cannot fool me! I saw that lusting look in your eyes," Kodachi insisted, continuing to cover herself up as she went over to the washing area. "Not that I blame you, of course, but bear in mind my words!"

The girl with the red ponytail slumped over in defeat, feeling incredibly embarrassed as she, too, headed over to wash herself off. "That's not why I was looking, though..."

After letting her hair down and dumping some hot water over her head, Ringo seemed to get over her humiliating moment for the time being.

"Uwah! That feels good!" she smiled.

But, sitting to her right, Kodachi was having some trouble getting her body to cooperate with her. The battered gymnast filled a bucket with water to dump over herself, but her arms hurt so badly that the pain was too much for her to raise the bucket up off the floor.

"This is...absurd..." she angrily muttered to herself. "Very well. I will do this in one quick motion..."

Clearly agitated, Kodachi hurried to raise the bucket up before the pain became too great, but it was no use. She dropped the bucket to the floor before it got above her knees, and immediately began clutching at her agonized arm.

"Nngh! Th-this is...!"

_*splash!*_

Kodachi sat motionless with surprise as she felt herself being doused with hot water from behind.

"If you need help, just ask me," Ringo told her, reaching forward to fill her bucket with water again.

Not giving any type of negative response as of yet, the Black Rose sat still and allowed herself to be doused with water once more.

"Here, I'll shampoo your hair while I'm at it," the redhead cheerfully offered, removing the tie from Kodachi's hair to let it flow freely.

Ringo grabbed a bottle and squirted a handful of shampoo into her palm, spreading it out evenly before running her hands over the younger Kuno sibling's black hair. It was only after she'd begun massaging it into Kodachi's scalp that the gymnast began to react. Sniffling to herself, Kodachi crossed her arms in her lap and curled her body forward.

"Oops! Did I get some in your eyes?" Ringo asked her. It wasn't the shampoo that was bothering the frail girl though.

"I...I've become so weak..." Kodachi whimpered, ashamed that she couldn't even manage to wash herself after her sparring session.

"It's just because you haven't trained in a long time, right?" Ringo asked her in a calming voice. "You'll get stronger again, Kodachi. You need to make sure to eat so you keep up your strength, though."

Perhaps recognizing that her second made a valid point, Kodachi took a deep breath and collected herself as she sat upright again, allowing Ringo to continue washing her hair.

"Ringo..." she said, grabbing the red-haired girl's attention, "you seem to be in suitable shape. What manner of exercise have you been doing?"

Ringo batted her eyes, curious as to why Kodachi would ask such a thing. "Well...I used to practice with Shampoo, but I don't do that much anymore. All I do now is go jogging in the morning."

"Jogging?" Kodachi looked back at her.

The red-haired girl nodded her head. "I...used to go jogging with Akane every morning. Then...she left...but I guess I got used to the routine and just kept doing it. It feels really nice to go for a jog when the sun is just coming up."

A quick glance at Kodachi's face showed Ringo that she appeared to be thinking deeply about something.

"Umm...did I say something weird?" Ringo asked her.

"No. Actually, that is a superb idea," Kodachi replied with a hint of a smirk on her face. "From now on, I will be joining you for that morning jog to aid me in regaining my competitive shape."

"Ah...huh?!" the redhead shrieked at the sudden declaration. "You want to go jogging with me? Like...every day?!"

The dark-haired gymnast gave her a sharp look. "You do not wish for my presence?"

"Well, no...I-I mean, no, I don't mind-!" the very puzzled Ringo stammered.

"I should think not," Kodachi replied, exhibiting a bit more of the arrogance that Ringo was used to hearing from her. "I shall be in front of your home at promptly six o'clock in the morning. And do not oversleep or I _will_ come awaken you myself."

Ringo's mind was filled with dread as she imagined what sadistic things Kodachi might possibly do to wake her up.

"I'll...make sure I get up on time..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 2**


	28. QoE: Qualifying

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

After two days of exhausting sparring sessions in Kodachi's dungeon, as well as a couple of morning jogs that became morning sprints thanks to her excessive partner, a depleted and slumped over Ringo Saotome staggered out the doors of Furinkan High School alongside Ranma, who wasn't very energetic either, albeit for unrelated reasons.

Conspicuous by her absence was the third member of their small clique, who'd been avoiding them completely ever since walking in on a sensitive scene at the Cat Café restaurant.

"Things sure change fast..." Ranma grumbled to himself.

"They do," Ringo responded softly, knowing well what her former male half was referring to. "I'm so tired. I wish I could go home and take a nap, but Kodachi's qualifying event is today."

"She's really been runnin' ya ragged, huh?" the pigtailed boy asked her.

Ringo nodded. "I'm starting to wonder if I bit off more than I could chew..."

"Hey, don't talk like that. Compared to helpin' me and Shampoo in China, this should be easy for ya," Ranma assured her.

"Just because it should be doesn't mean it is..." the worn down red-haired girl was quick to point out.

As they walked, the two of them took notice of the spatula handle sticking out from over the shoulder of a girl going by them. Ukyou Kuonji, who had an emotionless look on her face, took a brief moment to peek back at them, but clearly had no intention of stopping for a chat.

"Uh...b-bye, Ukyou...!" Ringo nervously waved to her friend.

The goodbye would go unanswered, however, as the young okonomiyaki chef simply looked away and continued heading for the school gates.

"Man, gimme a break, Ucchan..." Ranma said with a loud sigh.

"I understand why she's upset with you, but why is she avoiding me too?" Ringo pouted.

"Beats me. Maybe she don't wanna talk to anyone right now..." Ranma replied, sounding troubled while he looked at the overcast skies that appeared to be growing darker. "Looks like it's gonna rain. C'mon, we'd better get goin'."

Though they continued along their way, they wouldn't get far as a rickshaw suddenly roared in from out of nowhere and came to a screeching halt in front of the Furinkan gates, startling the daylights out of Ringo.

"Whoa-!" Ranma shouted, though not nearly as loud as Ringo's simultaneous piercing shriek. "Ah...huh?"

With her family servant gasping for breath at the front of the device, Kodachi Kuno, who still had a black eye from the run-in with her old rival, stood up in her St. Hebereke school uniform and pointed a finger down at her rattled second.

"Ringo, get in here this instant! We have traveling ahead of us!" the re-energized gymnast commanded her.

Ringo blinked as she looked up at Kodachi, more focused on her uniform at the moment than her words. "You went back to school?"

"Of course! What else was I supposed to do while you were not available?!" Kodachi asked, acting as though her return to school was nothing special. "Now get in here before I drag you in myself!"

"We...we're leaving already?" the young waitress hung her head in despair. "So much for a rest..."

With Ringo dragging herself over to the rickshaw, the Black Rose made the mistake of letting her gaze wander and accidentally made eye contact with the man who'd been standing next to her second. Ranma and Kodachi, neither having seen the other since that fateful night in front of the Cat Café, stood looking at each other in uncomfortable silence until finally the dark-haired gymnast, red cheeks and all, folded her arms defiantly and looked away from the pigtailed martial artist.

"Well now, if it isn't Ranma Saotome! You must be quite miserable having chosen that clearly inferior girl over a beautiful flower such as myself," Kodachi berated him.

"Oh yeah, I'm all torn up about it," Ranma sarcastically responded. He sure didn't miss her attitude, but in a way he felt relieved to see her still acting like her usual self.

"I have no doubt. It is your own fault, you know," Kodachi gave him a sharp look.

Not wanting to get into an argument with the brash Kuno sibling, Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders and faintly smiled up at her. "Guess I can take the blame for that one. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see ya, guys."

Though she'd talked big, the look on Kodachi's face was anything but heartless as she watched the man she once yearned for walk away.

"Hey..." Ranma said, looking over his shoulder at them one last time, "good luck."

Regrettably allowing herself to blush at the pigtailed boy's words, Kodachi quickly shook her head to regain her composure. "L-luck is not necessary for a Kuno! Sasuke, we're leaving!"

"Yes, Mistress Kodachi!"

On the same road, but walking in the opposite direction, Ukyou was struggling to keep her emotions from flaring up during the stroll back to her restaurant. Naturally, she'd gotten upset about seeing her Ranma-honey with Shampoo at times over the past few months, but never like this. Ranma was her childhood friend. He was the reason she wanted to stay here. And yet, now...

"What's the matter with me?" Ukyou asked herself, her voice so quiet that it was barely audible. "I can't talk to Ran-chan. I can't even look at him..."

The melancholy cook stopped and leaned back against a concrete wall, hoping to sort some of her thoughts out before she went crazy.

"I...thought I'd get used to it by now, but it hurts even more than it used to," she murmured, watching some of the people walk by on the other side of the street.

"Maybe I shoulda gone, after all..."

Her mind wandering, Ukyou continued looking at some of the passersby across the road, including one girl in a Furinkan High uniform that had a surprising resemblance to someone she knew.

"She looks exactly like Akane from the back," Ukyou noted, not thinking much of the observation. "From our school, too...I wonder who she is."

Then, as she was heading out of sight, the girl looked to the side and gave Ukyou a view of the side of her face. The forlorn Kuonji girl immediately jumped away from the wall with a look of pure shock.

"Akane...?! Akane!!"

Without even looking first, Ukyou rushed across the street in pursuit of her old rival, forcing an oncoming car to skid to a stop to avoid hitting her.

"Are you crazy?!" the driver shouted.

Ukyou ignored the upset motorist, keeping her eyes squarely focused on the girl in the school uniform.

"Akane! Hey! Stop!!"

Not so much as acknowledging Ukyou's shouting, Akane turned the corner into the line of businesses that included Ucchan's Okonomiyaki and disappeared from the young chef's view.

"Darn it, Akane! Get your fanny back here!!"

As she turned the same corner, Ukyou could see that Akane was again in her sights up ahead. She bolted through the sidewalk, dodging body after body while running past her own restaurant, until finally she saw Akane turn the corner into an alley.

"That's a dead end! I've got her now!"

Her heartbeat quickening, Ukyou ran to the alley as fast as she could, sliding on her feet as she turned into the entrance.

Ukyou let out a gasp, still surprised despite knowing who she was chasing, as she found Akane standing just a few feet away with her back turned toward her.

"Akane...hey..."

Then, ever so slowly, the youngest Tendo daughter turned around with her schoolbag in hand, looked into the eyes of her classmate, and cheerfully smiled at her.

"_I'll have the seafood okonomiyaki today!_"

Not sure what Akane was talking about, Ukyou blinked as she gave her a confused look. "Huh? What are you-?"

Ukyou wouldn't get the chance to ask what she meant. Right before her eyes, Akane suddenly faded away and disappeared, leaving her to wonder just what was going on.

But, just as quickly as she'd vanished, Akane reappeared all of a sudden to Ukyou's right, this time with a scowl on her face.

"Akane, what-?" Ukyou began to ask her.

"_I don't care anymore. Let her do what she wants._"

Again, Akane's words made little sense to Ukyou, who watched as her old rival vanished into thin air once more.

"I've had enough! Stop this!" the frustrated cook pleaded. "Get out here or I'm leaving, Akane!"

Ukyou turned around, tired of the tricks and ready to go, but jumped as she found herself staring into Akane's eyes again.

"Akane..."

Looking sad and in need of comfort, Akane slowly reached her hand out to the girl with the large spatula on her back.

"_Come with me..._"

Ukyou's eyes widened as she was struck with a feeling of déjà vu. This, she realized, was just like the night Akane had run away.

Hesitating slightly, Ukyou reached out to grab her hand. As she soon realized, though, there was nothing there to grasp. Her hand passed right through that of Akane, confirming what she'd already begun to accept...the fact that this Akane wasn't real.

Still with that upset look on her face, the image of Akane faded away into nothingness, this time for good.

Ukyou still had her hand outstretched when the cloudy skies started to open up and small droplets of rain began falling. It was only a few sprinkles at first, but fast turned into a steady stream of water coming down on the area.

"I must be losing my mind..." Ukyou said softly.

Letting her hand rest at her side again, she looked up into the sky and let the drops of rain run down her face before falling to the ground.

* * *

With the evening beginning to descend upon them, Kodachi and Ringo stood under their umbrellas in front of a large building in the Kita Ward of Tokyo.

"The Tanaka Training Complex, constructed by the founder of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation, Hiroyuki Tanaka," Kodachi said, reminiscing about her previous visit to the building three years earlier.

"It's huge..." Ringo marveled at the size of the place. "Umm...will Sasuke be okay out here?"

After pulling the girls' rickshaw across three different wards to get them here on time, the Kuno family's servant was practically lifeless with exhaustion. As soon as his passengers had climbed out of the rickshaw, he wasted no time crawling into it and falling asleep under the protection of the retractable top.

"Your worries are wasted on inconsequential matters," Kodachi told her, the sleeping ninja being the least of her concerns at the moment. "Come along, now."

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke gathered her courage and swung open the door, leading her comparatively calm second inside.

The sight within the complex was one to behold as over a hundred girls stood either talking to one another casually or warming up for the upcoming event. Holding two complete rings and enough free space for a number more, the main room alone put Kodachi's dungeon to shame.

Right as the two entered, a large, hulking man in a black business suit walked over to them with a clipboard in his hand.

"Name?" he asked.

"Kodachi Kuno."

The official flipped through the pages on his clipboard until he came across Kodachi's name. "Ah, here you are. And your second's name?"

There wasn't an immediate answer, as Ringo had found a fascination with the sights of the inside of the Tanaka Complex and was distracted for the moment. Kodachi, irritated at the girl's lack of attention, promptly reached over and pinched her arm to bring her back to reality.

"Oww!" Ringo shrieked, looking over at the gymnast and then at the official as she rubbed her arm.

"Your name...?" the man asked her again.

"Oh! Um, Ringo Saotome..." the girl with the ponytail blushed.

After taking down her name, the official pointed over at a door to his right. "Okay, Ms. Kuno. The dressing room is right over there for you to get changed. If you have any questions, please come ask me."

Once he'd left, Kodachi got to take her first look around at all of the other girls she'd be competing against.

"It's amazing how many others are here, isn't it?" Ringo asked her.

The dark-haired gymnast wasn't sharing the same excitement. Her hands were shaking and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous as could be, and Ringo could tell.

"Kodachi, you're shaking. Are you okay?"

"I...I am perfectly fine..." Kodachi said, although not very convincingly. "There are just...there are many memories of all of..._this_..."

As she tried calming herself down, the Black Rose suddenly felt her second grab her hand.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Kodachi yanked her arm away.

"What? I thought it might help..." Ringo explained, not seeing any problem with what she'd done.

"I do not need my hand held like a child!" the gymnast chided her. "Never do that again!"

"Alright...sorry..." Ringo meekly apologized.

As luck would have it, scolding her second had relieved some of Kodachi's tension. What nervousness was left, however, quickly turned to anger as she spotted a familiar girl in the crowd.

With a shimmering white leotard, a white fur boa around her neck, and the same silver-framed sunglasses Kodachi had seen her wearing days earlier, the conceited, brown-haired gymnast known as Kiriko Nakajima was seen talking to a group of three other girls, completely oblivious to the presence of the youngest Kuno sibling.

"Ringo, I have two things to tell you," Kodachi said to the redhead. "First, that girl in the white fur over there is Kiriko."

"Ohh, so she's the one who did that to your eye..." Ringo looked over at Kodachi's adversary.

"That is correct," Kodachi affirmed. "And second, I hold a firm belief that, when attacked, one must return the favor..."

Ringo watched curiously as the furious gymnast started walking over to the girl in white. "Umm...Kodachi...?"

Her mind filled with thoughts of vengeance, Kodachi Kuno strutted over to Kiriko with a purpose. As she neared, the other girls talking to Kiriko began to notice her, but they had no idea what exactly she had in mind until it happened. Placing her hand on her adversary's shoulder, Kodachi spun the surprised gymnast around and violently slapped her across the face, drawing a collective gasp from the stunned room.

As her sunglasses fell to the floor, Kiriko turned and looked at her assailant with rage evident in her eyes.

"KODACHI-!"

Kiriko immediately lunged at Kodachi, starting a skirmish that had to be broken up by the other gymnasts as they tried to pull the two girls apart.

"What are you doing here?! Huh?! What the hell do you think you're doing here, you trash?!" Kiriko shouted, trying to free herself from the other girls that were holding her back.

"Taking back my rightful place, you vile harpy!" Kodachi snapped back at her. "And heed my words, I will make you bow before me and beg for forgiveness!"

"Let me go! I'll kill her!" Kiriko screamed at the other girls again.

"ENOUGH!"

The tense situation came to a standstill as several EGF officials in suits stepped in-between the two girls.

"No more, you understand!? Save that energy for later!"

Ringo hurried over to join the other girls in restraining the Black Rose. "Kodachi, are you crazy?!"

Then, as the sound of one person's clapping and laughter began to echo throughout the room, the girls looked over by one of the walls to see who it was coming from. With her wild pink hair resting over the shoulder areas of her pink and black leotard, the gymnast who Ranma and Shampoo had once seen compete, Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki, found great amusement in Kodachi's actions.

"Wooo! New girl's got some spunk! I like her!" Sakura laughed.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you, you hyena!" Kiriko barked over at her.

Not intimidated in the least, Sakura wiggled her fingers in Kiriko's direction to make light of the threat. "Oooh, scary!"

Once the other girls let the brown-haired gymnast loose, she was quick to retrieve her sunglasses and put them back on before addressing the one that had slapped her. "That black eye's looking real nice, Kodachi. I don't know what made you think that you can even hope to compete with a superstar like me, but you're going to regret coming here! You hear me?!"

Kiriko walked off in a huff alongside her second, leaving Ringo to try to talk some sense into Kodachi.

"You could have gotten thrown out of here for that!" she chided the brash Kuno.

"Perhaps, but it was worth it. I feel much better now," Kodachi brushed her hair back, exhaling deeply as she began to head toward the dressing room. "All in due time..."

After Kodachi had changed into her green school leotard, there was a 20-minute wait for any other entrants to arrive before the group of nearly a dozen Extreme Gymnastics Federation officials gathered the girls together to officially start the competition. The one who spoke, a slender, older man with short gray hair, a mustache, and a gray business suit, was none other than the owner of the company himself, Hiroyuki Tanaka.

"Ladies, I'd like to welcome you all to the qualifying for this year's Queen of Extreme Tournament," he said atop a podium. "Here today we have 54 gymnasts and their seconds. As you should know, our champion is automatically given the top seed in the tournament. That leaves 15 spots for the rest of you to compete over."

"Today you'll each be competing in two exhibition matches against random opponents, and using only one type of tool that will also be randomly chosen. You'll also be giving a one-minute demonstration where you'll have the opportunity to show off your overall skills to us. The officials and I will judge your performances and decide at the end of the day which 15 of you will be entered into the tournament. Your past records will also factor into our decisions."

"Now then, we have a lot ahead of us with 54 of you here, so why don't we kick things off? Our first match of the day, in Ring One..."

Up on the wall behind the podium, a giant screen began flashing three sets of text. Two of them were the names of all of the gymnasts being scrolled through, while the other represented the weapon possibilities.

The girls all watched the screen intently, some of them hollering for their names to come up out of anticipation. Finally, after several nerve-wracking seconds, the scrolling stopped and the random first match was chosen.

"Kodachi Kuno vs. Ryoko Nishida! The weapon for this match will be the ribbon!"

Receiving some stares from some of the others, Kodachi seemed intrigued by the result. "The opening act, am I?"

"Oh gosh, already?!" Ringo said next to her, starting to feel some jitters herself. "Wow, I hope I don't mess up..."

"I will require no help with this one," Kodachi smirked, drawing a confused look from her second.

"If it is just a ribbon against ribbon match, I believe only one will be needed to thrash this no-name opponent..."

* * *

Meanwhile, over a thousand miles away, Ryouga and Meilin had returned to the fog-covered Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo under orders from General Khan. Their objective: find out who, if anyone, left the springs the day that the Jusenkyo guide and the five cult members were killed, and track them down. It was an unusual mission compared to everything else the two prisoners had done since their capture, but one that Ryouga Hibiki was eager to take up after witnessing the scene of horror inside the springs days earlier. And although detective work didn't sound all that exciting to the antsy Meilin, she'd found other perks in their current mission that more than made up for it.

"I was wrong. This is going to be fun!" the white-haired woman beamed, walking hand-in-hand with her lover again to keep him from getting lost inside the wall of mist. "We finally get to camp out again! Just the two of us. It feels like it's been forever since the last time we did that..."

"It sure does," Ryouga reminisced. "It might be dangerous if whatever came out of this place is nearby though..."

"_If_ anything came out of here," Meilin was quick to correct him. "Even if we don't find anything, we can always lie and say we're following the big bad sorceress's trail somewhere. That way we won't have to go back to the base for a while."

Meilin's relaxed attitude drew her a curious look from the directionally-challenged martial artist. "You really don't think whatever killed those people is still around somewhere?"

"No, I'm just not worried about it," she smiled back at him. "Even if whatever did it is still out there, it's not going to beat us. We're the strongest team in the world. Right, honey?"

Ryouga laughed a bit at the remark, sharing the same confidence in their combined strength as his partner. "Right!"

As they neared the area of the springs where the bodies had been removed from, Meilin became more subdued, looking as though she had something on her mind.

"Hey, Ryouga...do you ever regret it?"

"Regret? Regret what?" he asked.

"You know...getting together with me," Meilin said quietly, lowering her head. "If you weren't with me, you'd still be free. You could be back in Japan right now fighting Ranma...and snuggling up to that Akane girl as her pet pig..."

Meilin glanced over at her lover, afraid for a moment of how he would respond to her question. But as she felt him tighten his grip on her hand, those worries of hers began to dissipate.

"No," Ryouga emphatically told her. "I do miss Japan, but...I'm happy when I'm with you. Besides, I'll be able to go back there again once we've served out our punishment here...and I'll take you with me..."

Her partner's cheeks turning red, a touched Meilin leaned over and pulled him into a long kiss.

"I love you," she purred, resting her head on his shoulder as they continued walking.

"I love you, too. Don't ever doubt it," Ryouga assured her.

Once they reached the heart of the springs, duty kicked in again for the two martial artists as they began to examine the area where they'd found the six bodies during their first visit. Back then they'd only checked to make sure there wasn't anybody dangerous lurking around before people came to collect the bodies, but now that they were taking a closer look, there were certain things about the area that piqued their interest.

"You can still see his footprints," Ryouga pointed out as he knelt down by where the Jusenkyo guide had been found. "Weather should have wiped them away by now, but they're still here..."

"Nothing surprises me in this creepy cloud," Meilin said. "Two people came in here from the same direction as us to collect those bodies, and they didn't wander around any, so it shouldn't be tough to ignore their footprints. What we need is to find some leading away from this spot..."

Concentrating on the spot where the cult members were found, the former Seven Lucky Gods member soon picked up on something important.

"Ryouga, look at this..."

Walking over to his partner's location, Ryouga leaned over and took a close look at the ground where she was pointing. "Blood..."

"And it's leading away from where the bodies were," Meilin added, staring at other blood stains in the grass. "If some sorceress or whoever really did punch a hole through them like we thought..."

"Then she'd have blood dripping from her hand..." Ryouga finished, understanding what she was getting at.

As the two of them followed the gradually decreasing trail of blood, Ryouga paid special attention to the footprints that ran alongside the blood stains, and in doing so he picked up on another peculiar observation.

"Wait...hang on," he said, prompting Meilin to stop as she watched him point to two of the prints. "These two are the same, so this is one person...right?"

"Mhmm...and?" the white-haired woman quirked an eyebrow at him.

Ryouga looked up at her, pointing down at another footprint that was in-between the other two. "Isn't this one different?"

Getting a better look, Meilin carefully studied the three footprints and came to the same conclusion that her partner had. "You're right...so maybe it wasn't just one person that left here. And look, one set of prints is deeper...and they have a lot more distance between them than the others. So...one of them was running away..."

"Then maybe one of the guys from the cult tried to escape?" Ryouga suggested.

"Maybe. This is weird," Meilin blinked. "Let's follow them and see how far they go."

Even after the droplets of blood disappeared, the unofficial leaders of the Special Operations Orange Team followed the footprints around now empty springs and rock ledges, winding their way along a path that eventually ended with them standing outside the cloud of mist that encompassed the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo.

"Great. We leave the cloud, and now they're gone..." Ryouga grumbled, looking along the ground for any further trace of the prints.

Reaching into a pack tied around her waist, Meilin pulled out a compass to check what direction they led to. "Hmm...looks like they were heading northwest. Maybe we won't need those footprints anyway."

"You think they kept walking that way?" Ryouga asked her.

"Only one way to find out," Meilin winked back at him.

"Yeah," Ryouga nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

With the sound of the steady rain falling outside in the background, Ukyou Kuonji sat at the counter of her dimly lit restaurant staring off into space. She had a kettle of water heated up on one of her stoves, ready to serve customers tea whenever she decided to open the restaurant for the night, but she'd been sitting in silence for two hours now and still wasn't feeling up to it.

Getting upset with her childhood friend the other day had left a bad taste in the okonomiyaki chef's mouth, and that was certainly still lingering in her mind. But what plagued her now were a mass of questions regarding what she'd seen, or thought she'd seen, on her way back from school today.

Did she really see Akane, or did she just imagine seeing her? Why did she see Akane? And what did those things that she said mean, if anything? No matter how hard she tried, Ukyou couldn't come up with any of the answers.

Maybe she was just stressed out, she figured. Maybe in the end all she needed was to lie down and sleep for a while.

When the sound of the door to her restaurant opening caught Ukyou's attention, she assumed it was a confused customer who didn't realize that the business wasn't open at the moment.

"Sorry, we're closed," she said, glancing over at the door.

The young chef was surprised, to say the least, when she found that it wasn't a human that had slid the door open, but an animal. A white and pink colored cat, to be precise.

"You..." Ukyou scowled down at the rain-soaked feline as it pushed the door shut with its small head.

Greeting the restaurant's owner with a nonchalant "meow", the cat hopped up onto the counter next to her and headed straight for the stove with the kettle on top of it. Being careful to avoid the heat, it grabbed the kettle's handle in its mouth and hopped down to the floor again, strutting through the curtain in the back of the business that lead up a flight of stairs to Ukyou's living quarters.

"Hey! Get your furry butt back down here!" Ukyou shouted from her seat, placing a hand over her aching forehead. "Come on, I don't feel like dealing with this now..."

Not up to a pursuit at the moment, the annoyed cook sat back and quietly waited until she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs a minute later.

"It no was rain when Shampoo leave Cat Café. Silly clouds no can make mind up..."

Drying off her soaked lavender hair with a towel, Shampoo emerged from behind the curtain wearing only a white robe she'd found upstairs. Then, with a pair of unfriendly eyes glaring at her, she calmly walked over to the stool next to Ukyou and took a seat.

"My bath robe...you're actually wearing my bath robe..." Ukyou said, amazed at the audacity of the Amazon girl. "Are you _trying_ to pick a fight with me?!"

"No want fight this time," Shampoo replied, still very sedate as she continued drying her hair, "...just want talk."

"Talk?" Ukyou asked, not sounding thrilled with the idea as she folded her arms in front of her. "Can't imagine why. Shouldn't you be off enjoying your life with Ran-chan?"

Despite the particularly venomous reply, Shampoo kept her cool, setting the towel down on the counter before turning to face her old rival. "Ranma no is in good mood. Maybe Ukyou tell Shampoo why?"

Ranma's childhood friend shook her head, aware that Shampoo already knew the answer to that question. "You know...I remember the day Ran-chan came in here to talk to me about everything. I pushed him and told him to go to you, thinking I'd be able to just step back and be his friend even if he chose you over me. I was wrong...I was stupid and wrong. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to do it..."

Her emotions boiling over, Ukyou scowled over at her visitor again. "But that's okay, right?! He has you now, and you're the only one he needs."

"If that true, then Shampoo no could be more happy," the lavender-haired girl told her. "But...that no make Ranma happy. Shampoo see many time that Ranma still feel bad for hurt Ukyou, Akane, and crazy Kuno girl too. He still want be friends with all girls. No like when they is mad..."

Ukyou reached up and began rubbing her head again, hesitant to reply to her old rival's words.

"Why you no move on and find other boy?" Shampoo asked her.

"Because you don't just forget your first love that easy!!" Ukyou angrily snapped back at her, trying as best as she could not to cry. "I...I've always loved him! I still do! You can't just expect me to move on and forget about him like that, dammit!"

"Shampoo love Ranma too..." the young Amazon immediately responded, locked in a stare down with the young chef. "Shampoo love Ranma more than anything in whole world and no can stand when he feel bad. That why...if Ukyou love Ranma so much, then you no should want see him unhappy."

Shampoo's last line hit Ukyou hard. It wasn't as though it were some revelation. Deep down, Ukyou already knew it and had been angry with herself over not following through on it. But it was a little different when, instead of just convincing herself of it, she actually had someone else telling her the same thing.

Closing her eyes for a moment as she contemplated to herself, Ukyou jumped when she suddenly felt Shampoo's cold palm pressed against her forehead.

"Wh-what are you-?!" the brown-haired chef swatted her hand away.

Shampoo pressed her hand against her own forehead, comparing the temperatures of the two. "Mmm...Shampoo think Ukyou have fever. Maybe send Ranma over with soup later. Is okay?"

"What?!" Ukyou blushed. As nervous as she felt about talking to her pigtailed friend, there was a significant part of her that just wanted things to be the way they used to be between them again as soon as possible. And, embarrassing though it may have been, being treated for the illness that was probably picked up from her run through the rain earlier wasn't a bad opportunity for them to talk again.

"Aren't you afraid I'll steal him back from you?" Ukyou asked.

"No is worried," the Amazon girl responded without hesitation. "Shampoo trust Ranma."

Not particularly liking the answer, Ukyou let out a sigh and looked away.

"Do whatever you want, then..."

* * *

A loud collective gasp filled the Tanaka Training Complex as a short-haired girl in a blue-and-white leotard flew into the air and beyond the ropes of one of the two rings, knocked completely out cold as she was caught by some of the other girls before she could hit the mat-covered floor. Inside the ring, the pink-haired gymnast given the nickname "Heavy Metal" had a demonic smile on her face while holding a cracked club in her extended right hand.

"Winner: Sakura Okazaki!" the referee proclaimed.

Her performance rattling the nerves of her potential opponents, Sakura discarded the broken club and threw her arms into the air in disappointment as she hopped out of the ring. "Boring, boring..."

Near the back of the crowd of other gymnasts, a very tender Kodachi and her second watched on, anxiously waiting for their second chance of the night to impress.

"Wow, she won both of her matches in under ten seconds..." Ringo said in amazement.

"That girl is a brute, nothing more," Kodachi huffed, not much admiring the technical prowess of Sakura.

In her first exhibition match of the day, the Black Rose's opponent was a 14-year-old who was essentially a rookie to the sport of martial arts rhythmic gymnastics. The novice, Ryoko Nishida, was clearly nervous and at a huge disadvantage in experience, and in the end Kodachi's initial prediction for the match came true. Even though she wasn't in her best form, she simply overwhelmed her opponent with her skilled ribbon usage, forcing Ryoko to roll out of the ring to safety and give Kodachi a win without even requiring Ringo to lift a finger.

A while later, Kodachi was called into a separate room to give her one-minute skill demonstration to another set of EGF officials. Unlike in her first match, however, her lack of proper training over the course of the last few months showed this time. She put on a decent demonstration, but a few stumbles and some mishandling of her tools had her extremely upset with herself and swearing that she would make up for it by stepping up her training sessions with Ringo, whether the young Furinkan student liked it or not.

About forty minutes later, after having cooled off a bit, Kodachi was now focused on her second exhibition match. So long as she grabbed another definitive victory, her demonstration mishaps wouldn't be enough to keep her out of the tournament, she figured. But, much as she didn't want to think about it, her body was still feeling the effects of pushing herself so hard for the last few days. The more she had to exert herself, the more trouble she was going to wind up having.

"Ringo," Kodachi got the redhead's attention, "did Kiriko have her first match while I was in the other room?"

"Oh, yeah," Ringo answered. "She won really easy, too...but it wasn't like Sakura's matches."

"How so?"

"Well...she took her time and let the other girl try to attack her, but then she'd fight back until the girl had to run away and try something new. It was like Kiriko wanted her to know that she couldn't touch her..."

"That is precisely what she wanted," Kodachi glared through the crowd at her conceited nemesis. "That wretched woman...I wonder if I would be fortunate enough to draw her as my next opponent..."

Up on the wall's large screen, the names were again scrolling by to determine the next match to take place at the first ring.

"Let it be Kiriko and I..." Kodachi pleaded. Even in her current condition, she would gladly risk her body if it meant getting to take some shots at Kiriko.

Moments later when the scroll came to a stop, Kodachi's name was, indeed, on the screen. But it wasn't the match-up she'd hoped for.

"The next match is Mizuki McLoughlin vs. Kodachi Kuno!" one of the officials announced. "The weapon will be the hoop!"

There was some very audible interest in the match amongst the other girls from the moment it was announced. Being of half-Japanese, half-Irish descent, Mizuki McLoughlin was a regular presence in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation who had participated in the previous two Queen of Extreme Tournaments.

"The hoop, is it? This will take longer to finish..." Kodachi thought aloud. "Ringo, I will be needing your aid for this match. Do not mess up."

"R-right...!" her second nervously replied.

The crowd of girls watching the match in the other ring began moving over to watch this more appealing contest as Kodachi grabbed four plastic green hoops from a large rack and slid into the ring. Outside, Ringo grabbed over a dozen more of the hoops and stood ready to supply them to Kodachi when given the signal.

After a brief strategy session with her second, Mizuki, who had long, dark red hair tied into two braids behind her head, hopped into the ring wearing a silky green and white leotard. Holding three white hoops in each hand, the grin on her face showed a hint of excitement over the opponent she'd been given.

"I've heard of you. You ambushed some of the girls on my school's team about a year ago," Mizuki said to Kodachi. "Best o' luck, Black Rose."

"You should keep your luck for yourself," the far less enthused Kodachi shot back at her.

Twirling the hoops around their arms in their respective corners, Mizuki and Kodachi locked eyes as the referee stepped to the middle of the ring.

"Ready...start!"

Right from the start, Mizuki darted toward Kodachi and hurled one of the three hoops twirling on her right arm at her. Cautiously opting to avoid the head-on clash for now, Kodachi jumped back and took to the air, letting Mizuki's hoop sail underneath her. Kodachi then sprang off the top ring rope, soaring high above the ring and tossing one hoop from each of her arms down at her grounded opponent.

The sound of the plastic hoops cracking echoed throughout the complex as Mizuki countered Kodachi's attacks by tossing two of her own hoops into the others, shattering parts of the tools with the force of the impact. With three hoops remaining, Mizuki hurled two of them one right behind the other at the Black Rose, who was setting herself up to land on the other side of the ring. Not wanting to leave herself defenseless, Kodachi used her remaining two hoops to create a shield in front of herself, standing firm upon her landing and letting Mizuki's hoops crash into her own.

Her hands stinging from the impact of the collision and her hoops cracked open, Kodachi went on the offensive, making a beeline for Mizuki. She flung one of her damaged hoops at Mizuki as she moved in close, forcing the girl with braids to sacrifice her last hoop to deflect the attack. But after Kodachi's hoop had been knocked away, Mizuki found that her opponent was no longer in her field of vision.

"Wha-?"

By a stroke of luck, Mizuki looked down by her feet just in time to see Kodachi crouched down on the ring mat next to her. With as much force as she could muster, Kodachi sprung upward and fired her last hoop directly at her opponent's throat. Taking advantage of her honed reflexes, however, Mizuki bent backward as the ill-intentioned hoop grazed the front of her leotard and barely missed the tip of her chin before sailing off into the distance.

With Kodachi now vulnerable, Mizuki immediately capitalized by raising her last hoop into the air and heaving it downward at the representative from St. Hebereke. Kodachi was still plenty nimble despite her poor conditioning, though. Seeing the attack coming, she quickly leaped back out of the way, doing a handspring to create some distance as the hoop crashed into the mat.

"Kodachi!" Ringo shouted to get her partner's attention.

The younger Kuno sibling, hearing her second's call, grabbed from the air four hoops that had been tossed her way and began twirling two on each arm as Mizuki, too, restocked with four hoops from her second.

It had been one of the more high-level exchanges of the day, and Mizuki and Kodachi had many of the other gymnasts, particularly the younger ones, watching them intently, while some of the others whistled and urged them on from the group of onlookers.

"Not too shabby! I'd better be careful," Mizuki hopped up and down a few times, seemingly enjoying herself.

Kodachi, on the other hand, wasn't having fun at all. Already starting to breathe heavily, she was feeling the soreness in her body worse than ever after the fast-paced start. And in this match, where she wasn't able to use her own tools, there just weren't any shortcuts to victory. If possible, she needed to end the match soon while she could still move around freely, and unfortunately she had no choice but to try winning it fairly.

"Come!" Kodachi shouted.

Mizuki was happy to oblige the demand. "Fine by me!"

The half-Irish gymnast moved forward and readied to whirl another hoop at her opponent, but, to her surprise, the Black Rose beat her to the punch and tossed one of her own hoops at Mizuki's midsection. Caught off-guard by the quick move, Mizuki stopped the twirling of her four hoops and used them to block Kodachi's attack. It was only after the hoop cracked off of Mizuki's barricade that she realized Kodachi had fired a second hoop her way. This time the hoop was simply too close and moving too fast for Mizuki to react to it, and it ended up smacking right into her exposed collarbone.

Cringing in pain as she was knocked back by the attack, Mizuki wasted no time retaliating by going on the offensive again and heaving one of her hoops at Kodachi, who took to the air again before it could strike her. Soaring above the ring, Kodachi twirled around to dodge two of Mizuki's remaining hoops as she threw them up at her, whirling one of her own downward into the ring after that only to watch Mizuki block it by letting it deflect off her last hoop.

When Mizuki saw that Kodachi was preparing to land on top of one of the corner ringposts, she immediately tossed her last hoop toward it and called for her second to toss her more. Kodachi, having to make sure she landed safely, fired her last hoop down into Mizuki's and knocked it down to the ring mat before planting her feet solidly on the ringpost.

"Ringo!" Kodachi yelled out.

"Right!" her second acknowledged, tossing another hoop up toward the corner of the ring.

The inexperience of Ringo came into play, however, as the hoop she tossed began to sail out of Kodachi's range.

Forced to reach out further than she would have liked, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke nearly lost her balance on the post as she barely managed to snag the hoop from the air. "Hey...!"

"Oops!" Ringo gasped.

By the time Kodachi had regained her balance, Mizuki had already gone on the offensive again. Whirling another hoop near the ringpost, Mizuki caught Kodachi directly in the shins, hitting her with enough impact that it jarred her feet right off the post.

Frantic to stay alive in the match, Kodachi, who was about to fall out of the ring, wrapped the hoop Ringo had thrown her around the top of the post and held on for dear life, barely managing to keep her feet from hitting the floor. Mizuki wasn't about to let her recover though. The seasoned gymnast fired two more hoops at the part of Kodachi's hoop that was hooked around the post. The first blow cracked Kodachi's hoop badly. The second one broke right through it.

Without her hoop to support her anymore, Kodachi quickly wrapped her feet around the post as the rest of her body fell back, her hair nearly brushing against the floor.

"Kodachi! Hang on!" Ringo called out to her.

The twisted Kuno sibling had somehow survived two scares so far, giving the other girls watching some quality entertainment in the process, but she was in severe trouble. With a flimsy hold on the post, she tried to pull her aching body up to grab hold of it with her hands, but the poorly conditioned muscles in her abdomen wouldn't make it easy. Gritting her teeth, Kodachi struggled to work herself upward, finally managing to get her head up to the same height as the post. Crying out with determination, she reached forward to grab the post, but would only get her fingertips to brush against it.

From the other side of the ring, a white hoop thrown by Mizuki smashed right into the bridge of Kodachi's nose, the sound of the impact making a number of the onlooking gymnasts flinch. From her spot outside the ring, Ringo could only watch in dismay as the shaken Kodachi fell from the ringpost and smacked down onto the floor below.

"Winner: Mizuki McLoughlin!" the referee declared.

While a collective groan came over the crowd of gymnasts who were disappointed in the shortness of the match, a clearly upset Ringo rushed over to check on her partner's condition.

"Kodachi, are you okay?!" she cried.

Happy with her performance, Mizuki responded to a short applause she received from some of the other girls with a playful bow before exiting the ring to celebrate the victory with her second.

With Kodachi still on the floor trying to regain her bearings, Kiriko Nakajima, who was all smiles, strolled over to Ringo and placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"Aww, don't worry. She would have lost anyway, Sweetie," Kiriko mockingly comforted her. "That was lovely of you to make her lose her balance like that, though. Thank you so much."

The pompous gymnast's words only making her feel worse, Ringo, with tears starting to form in her eyes, turned and swatted Kiriko's hand off of her, displaying an almost unheard of bout of anger as she glared up at the girl.

"Ooh, someone's touchy," Kiriko laughed as she started to walk away. "You should be happy. You probably saved her the embarrassment of being crushed in front of a big crowd...again."

Ringo was far from a negative person, but she was beginning to see why Kodachi disliked Kiriko so much.

Left to themselves while the next exhibition match of the day was being arranged, Kodachi, with some help from her second, was finally starting to get her aching body upright after taking the nasty hit to her face.

"Are you okay...?" Ringo asked her again.

"No, I am NOT!" Kodachi shot back at her in frustration. The hoop had left a red mark on the bridge of her nose that, along with her still-healing black eye, did no favors for her looks. What hurt most of all at the moment wasn't her face, however, but the result of her match. "If I still qualify for this tournament, we are putting in extra time on our coordination!"

"Um...right..." a somber Ringo replied. "Sorry, Kodachi."

While the remaining exhibition matches took place, including Kiriko's second match, Kodachi and Ringo sat far away from the rings pondering to themselves what all had gone awry today. Even as the last match finished and the EGF officials moved into another room to determine who qualified for the tournament, the two of them could only wonder what sort of chance Kodachi had of being selected.

A decisive victory over a relative rookie, a so-so showing at the skill demonstration, and a loss against a solid opponent were the stats that the Black Rose had racked up on the day. It wasn't awful by any means, but it wasn't great either. And with 53 other gymnasts present and only 15 open spots in the tournament, the question would appear to be just how much promise the officials saw in Kodachi during her loss against Mizuki, and whether or not it would be enough to sneak her into the top 15.

Nearly an hour after the matches had ended, there was a loud ruckus starting up amongst the other gymnasts as the EGF officials made their way back into the main room of the complex with the qualifying results in-hand.

"_Come on! Let's hear it! Let's go!_"

"_High seeding! High seeding!_"

"_This is it! My name's gettin' called today! Wait for it!_"

Raising her head from the hanging position it had been in most of the time since she'd sat down, Ringo watched as Kodachi slowly stood up from her seat and looked down at her.

"Sulking will do nothing for us. Come."

"Yeah..."

With Ringo and Kodachi moving up behind the growing crowd of gymnasts and their seconds, Extreme Gymnastics Federation owner Hiroyuki Tanaka stepped up to the podium to announce the tournament selections.

"Ladies, it is my pleasure to now announce those of you who have qualified for our annual Queen of Extreme Tournament," the older man in the business suit began. "But first of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming here today and putting on a show for us. I welcome all of you, whether you qualify this year or not, to keep working hard to earn future spots in this tournament and at all of the other shows put on by our organization."

"Now then, I'm sure you're all anxious to hear the results, so let's get on with it, shall we?" he continued, drawing a number of nervous looks from the girls listening. "The 1st Seed, of course, would be our champion, who...I don't believe is here today. Oh well, no matter. Moving on, then, the 2nd Seed for this year's tournament...is Kiriko Nakajima!"

"She is...such a high seed..." Kodachi mouthed, genuinely surprised with the announcement. She'd expected Kiriko to qualify, but for her to be the second highest ranked gymnast easily exceeded her expectations.

"Is that weird?" Ringo asked.

"No, I suppose not..." Kodachi replied. "She had such a low seed the last time. That awful girl must have improved considerably..."

Other than Kodachi, there was little surprise amongst the other gymnasts over the decision to make Kiriko the 2nd Seed. That is, aside from one particular competitor who felt that she'd been robbed.

"What?! That's a load of crap, old man!" an irate Sakura Okazaki bellowed from afar. "Are you blind?! How does she get seeded higher than me?!"

"Because I'm better than you? Duh..." Kiriko gloated, now wearing her sunglasses and fur boa again. "It was the obvious choice."

"The HELL you are!" Sakura protested. "I want an explanation, old man!"

Tanaka had a feeling that the vulgar, pink-haired gymnast would take exception to the choice, but it was never an easy task to deal with her. "Our specific criteria are for us to know, Sakura! If you feel slighted then try to defeat her in the tournament!"

"You're damn right I will!" Sakura angrily retorted.

Shaking his head, Tanaka moved on to the next selection before the argument progressed any further. "The 3rd seed for the tournament...is Sakura Okazaki..."

Again, there was little surprise over the choice considering Sakura's dominant performances in her exhibition matches. Sakura herself, however, was still steaming over the previous selection.

"I should've been the 2nd Seed..." she grumbled.

"The 4th Seed," Tanaka continued, "is Svetlana Ivanov. The 5th Seed...Suzume Miura. The 6th Seed...Mizuki McLoughlin."

The half-Irish gymnast was elated with her ranking, excitedly hugging her second. "Wooo! That's our highest seeding yet!"

Her opponent from the earlier exhibition match was feeling quite the opposite. With six spots already filled and ten to go, Kodachi's chances were slowly dwindling down. Her nerves feeling more jittery by the second, she clenched her fists tightly to relieve some of the stress.

"I must have made it...I'm positive I did..." she told herself, drawing a concerned look from her second.

With her business already finished at the event, Kiriko Nakajima walked out from the crowd of girls and smirked as she eyed Kodachi through her sunglasses.

"_That detestable woman...she wishes to see my disappointment if I do not make it..._" the irritated Kuno daughter thought to herself.

"The 7th Seed, Yuki Hasegawa. The 8th Seed, Umiko Sonoda," Tanaka announced.

"That's half of them..." Ringo said, biting down on her lip as the butterflies kept growing in her stomach.

The EGF owner had a brief chuckle before moving on as the two previously announced entrants had a very vocal celebration. "The 9th Seed, Hiroko Fujimoto..."

Her hands beginning to tremble, Kodachi looked over at Kiriko again and saw her looking even happier than before.

"The 10th Seed, Fujiko Kobayashi..."

Still not hearing her name called, Kodachi's face contorted with frustration.

"_This is absurd! Could I have been left out?! Have I really fallen so far?!_" she quietly anguished.

"The 11th Seed..." Hiroyuki Tanaka continued, "Kodachi Kuno."

"YESSS!!"

Startled by the loud outburst, nearly everyone in the room stared back at the dark-haired gymnast with her hand thrust into the air.

After her initial rapture had passed, Kodachi fast became aware of the fact that the eyes of the complex were upon her. Blushing profusely at her actions, she cleared her throat and folded her arms, trying to give off the impression that she wasn't surprised at all. "Hah! The 11th Seed...surely I should be ranked higher than that..."

As the other girls turned their attention back to the owner, Kodachi heard a loud sigh of relief being emitted from the red-haired girl next to her. "What was that for?"

"I...I'm just so glad," Ringo exhaled again, placing her hand over her chest. "I'm so glad I didn't ruin everything..."

Mr. Tanaka continued on with his seeding announcements, but the tournament's 2nd Seed had completely lost interest. Kiriko was stunned, and not in a good way.

"That man must be getting senile in his old age. Trash like you doesn't belong in my ring," Kiriko removed her shades as she slowly approached the Black Rose and her second.

"It would appear the officials think differently," Kodachi was happy to point out. "Tell me, if you are defeated by so-called trash, does that make you trash as well?"

Kiriko showed no lack of brashness, getting right up in Kodachi's face. "You are sadly delirious. Do you even realize what you are? You're an 11th Seed. They never even make it out of the first round."

"It should come as quite a shock then. Even moreso when this 11th Seed defeats you," Kodachi retorted, sounding extremely confident in herself.

The disgusted Kiriko could only shake her head at the nonsense she was hearing. "You're only putting off your inevitable failure, Kodachi! You'll never make it far enough to face me, and you know it!"

"You're wrong!"

Having heard enough out of Kiriko's mouth, Ringo stepped in front of her and looked her straight in the eye, leaving Kodachi feeling perplexed as to what on earth had gotten into her normally timid second.

"We'll make it there!" Ringo boldly declared, much to the amusement of Kodachi's arrogant nemesis.

"For an unqualified second, you have a big mouth, girlie," Kiriko snorted, looking up at Kodachi one more time before taking her leave. "Just so you know, I'll be there in person to see you fail this weekend, you trash."

With the seeding announcements wrapping up and Kiriko done talking for the time being, Ringo turned back around to find Kodachi staring down at her curiously.

"What?" Ringo blinked.

"I was not aware you had such passion in you," Kodachi teased her.

"Ah...gosh, maybe I went a little overboard..." the young Saotome pondered, looking embarrassed. "That girl is just mean though! She...she makes me want to beat her!"

"Oh?" Kodachi smirked. "I'm glad you feel that way, because that is precisely what we are going to do."

Once the final qualifier for the tournament had been announced, the Extreme Gymnastics Federation officials put a graphic of the tournament brackets up on the large screen on the wall for everyone to see.

"Congratulations to those of you who qualified. Now, here are the brackets for this year's Queen of Extreme Tournament," Tanaka said to the girls. "As always, the highest seed will start out facing the lowest seed, the next highest seed will face the next lowest seed, and so on. If you are on the west side of the bracket, your match will be held at our arena on Odaiba on Saturday afternoon starting at 3 o' clock. If you're on the east side of the bracket, your match will be at our Odaiba arena on Sunday afternoon at the same time."

"Good luck to all of you. I'm looking forward to an interesting show."

As the owner stepped down from the podium, Kodachi, Ringo, and the other qualifying gymnasts and their seconds carefully began combing the brackets for their names.

"We are in the east bracket, so our first match will be on Sunday," Kodachi determined. "That gives us four days to prepare."

"That isn't much time to get ready..." Ringo said with a hint of concern.

"We have no choice," Kodachi replied, looking over the brackets again for another name. "Good. Kiriko is in the east bracket as well. But, with these seedings...we cannot meet until the semifinals. That means I must win two matches before I can face that harpy again. And my first match..."

Ringo's eyes widened as she noticed who Kodachi was matched up against in the first round. "It's her..."

Kodachi nodded, looking to her left at the opponent she'd faced earlier in the day. As she soon noticed, the girl with braids was staring right back at her with a confident smile on her face.

"I will be facing the 6th Seed...Mizuki McLoughlin."

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**


	29. QoE: Sorceress

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Bathed in the bright sun hovering over mainland China, Ryouga Hibiki stumbled out of the tent he shared with Meilin wearing only a pair of black and yellow undershorts. He'd been no stranger to long nights since the relationship with his white-haired traveling partner became intimate, but things got a bit excessive last night after they were sent out on an extended mission for the first time in a while.

Raising an arm to shield his eyes from the sun, Ryouga dug through a mess of gadgets on the ground and picked up a wristwatch.

"It's already after 3 o' clock..." he groaned, sleepily glancing back at the tent. "I know it's been a while since we've had a mission like this, but five times in one night...what crazy stamina."

Ryouga let out a loud yawn and then shook his head to try to wake himself up. "I'd better get her up..."

*beep beep!...beep beep!...beep beep!...*

"Hmm...?"

Still groggy as an annoying beeping noise raked against his eardrums, the half-naked martial artist brushed aside some of the gear on the ground with his foot to try to locate the source.

"This thing...?" he grumbled, picking up what looked like a walkie-talkie. In reality, it was a communicator used to relay orders and other vital information to them in text form. Normally messages were encrypted, but in emergency situations they were sent in plain text to preserve time. The method used was a moot point to Ryouga though, as he couldn't read the written language anyway.

Pressing a button to both accept the new message and stop the beeping, Ryouga crawled back into the tent and gently shook the shoulder of his sleeping partner.

"Hey, wake up," he said softly.

Meilin, who was covered by nothing but a blanket at the moment, ignored the wake up call at first and turned on her side.

"Come on, it's important..." Ryouga shook her some more.

With a groggy groan, Meilin's eyes fluttered open to see who was rousing her from her slumber.

"Mmm...Ryouga, you bad boy..." she purred seductively, pulling her partner's face down into her chest. "One more time?"

Ryouga lifted his face out from between Meilin's breasts looking exasperated. "Are you serious?! We were just up all night doing it!"

"I didn't hear any complaints out of you..." the white-haired rogue teased him.

"Uh...well, that's..." Ryouga laughed, embarrassed as he noted her point. "W-we can't right now though. We got a message from the General."

Meilin looked disappointed as Ryouga held the communicator up in front of her.

"Of course, they would have to ruin our good time..." she muttered, grabbing the device from her partner. "Let's see what it is...hmm?"

"What is it?" Ryouga asked, seeing the curious look on her face.

"It's not encrypted. Must be something important..." Meilin told him as she started to read the message aloud. "Emergency signal sent from location 50 miles northwest of your current position. Signal sent by...Viper Team Commander Jukai?!"

"Jukai?!" Ryouga's eyes lit up. "That guy's never asked for help before..."

"I know. Whatever's going on must be something big," Meilin said, continuing to read the message. "It says a helicopter is on its way to take us there and that backup's going to be right behind us."

With that news, Ryouga began grabbing the rest of his clothes and putting them on with haste. "We need to get our stuff packed up and ready to go! We don't have long before that helicopter gets here!"

Meilin followed suit and hurried to get herself dressed, but one part of that emergency message in particular had her wondering about something.

"Ryouga...that signal came from 50 miles northwest of here. That's exactly where we were headed," she pointed out. "You don't think..."

"It might be," Ryouga replied while slipping his pants on. "If it's the same thing we're looking for, this could be really bad..."

* * *

After three days of commitment to Kodachi's Extreme Gymnastics Federation comeback, Ringo Saotome was surprisingly excited about returning to her waitress duties at the Cat Café as she and Ranma headed there after school.

"I feel so bad for Ukyou, getting sick all of a sudden like that. Maybe I should go check on her after we close tonight," the red-haired girl pondered aloud. "It's nice to hear you two made up, though."

"I dunno what she was thinkin', runnin' around in the rain like that," Ranma poked fun at his childhood friend. "But yeah, I'm glad that whole thing's over with."

Ringo nodded happily in agreement. "It just felt weird when you guys were fighting like that."

"Yeah, no kiddin'. So, you gonna be comin' to work again for a while?" Ranma asked her.

"Yup! Well, except for Sunday since that's when Kodachi has her match. I told her that I'd keep helping her train, but only when I didn't have to work," Ringo replied. "I thought she might get mad about that, but she really didn't. I think she's feeling more relaxed since she actually qualified for the tournament."

"That's good. Least that won't be puttin' so much pressure on ya," the pigtailed boy said. "Still, to think ten girls ranked ahead of Kodachi...that's kinda surprisin'."

Beside him, Ranma noticed his former female half drooping over after his last remark.

"Aww c'mon, so ya missed throwin' a hoop by a little bit. It all worked out," Ranma tried to cheer her up. "You guys just gotta work on your coordination."

"That's what Kodachi said," Ringo sighed, still upset with herself. Being mocked by Kodachi's rival, Kiriko, afterward didn't exactly help either.

"Hey, least you got somethin' going on. I'm gettin' tired of being cooped up in the restaurant while I wait for that Jukai guy to come back here and fight me," Ranma vented. "I still get to practice with Pop, but I miss doin' other stuff like fighting Ryouga and goin' on training trips and stuff."

"Why don't you go on one, then? A training trip, I mean," Ringo asked him.

Ranma stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to ponder the inquiry.

"That's a good question..." he admitted. "I mean, there's school and all..."

"And our summer break isn't for another month or so..." Ringo pointed out to him.

"Yeah...man, I'll have to think about it," Ranma said. "Whatever. C'mon, let's go."

"Okay-eeee?!"

Just as the young waitress started walking again, she felt someone grab hold of her arm tightly and was jerked backward. Looking back to see what was going on, Ranma and Ringo were surprised to find their blonde-haired friend from the restaurant, Alysse, staring at the redhead with an unusually serious look on her face.

"You didn't come..." the taller girl said.

"Alysse...?" Ringo blinked, not sure what she was talking about.

Sensing an odd tension between the two girls, Ranma had a feeling that he should probably get out of their way.

"Umm...I'm just gonna go on ahead," he said, scratching his head. "I'll see ya at the restaurant, Ringo."

"O-okay," Ringo acknowledged him, turning her attention back to Alysse as Ranma walked off. "Alysse? What's wrong?"

"You said I'd see you on Monday, and you never came..." the blonde girl told her, looking a bit hurt as she spoke.

Finally, Ringo understood what Alysse meant. "Oh, you mean at the Cat Café! Aha, yeah...some weird things happened the night before and I ended up taking a few days off. I'm sorry about that. It was kind of unexpected."

"Weird things...?" Alysse asked, feeling a little more relaxed and letting go of Ringo's arm.

"Yep! This...well, I don't think friend is the right word, but someone I know needed help with a rhythmic gymnastics thing, so I'm helping her out a little," Ringo explained. "I might have to take another day or two off work for it later, but I won't be gone that much from the restaurant anymore."

"Oh...so that's all it is?" the blonde girl said softly.

"Mhmm!" Ringo cheerfully smiled. "Speaking of that, I should probably hurry up and get there. Are you coming to eat?"

"Um...y-yeah..." Alysse hesitantly answered.

"Then let's go!" the young Saotome girl said, reaching out and grabbing Alysse's hand.

The gesture was innocent enough, but it gave Alysse quite a shock. So much of one, in fact, that Ringo couldn't budge her an inch even as she tried to start walking again.

"Alysse? Aren't you coming?" a confused Ringo asked her.

Her eyes focused on the hand that Ringo was holding, Alysse ever so slowly opened her mouth to speak. "Um...Ringo...next week..."

"Next week?" Ringo blinked.

"Are you...busy?" Alysse asked, tightening her grip on Ringo's hand.

The waitress tilted her head as she thought about her plans for next week. "Hmm...I'll probably have to help that person with her gymnastics training, but other than that, not really. Why?"

"Then...w-would you...umm..." Alysse nervously stuttered, "would you...maybe want to...do...something...together? I-I mean outside the restaurant...that is..."

"Sure!"

The nerve-wracked blonde girl raised her head and shot Ringo a pleasantly surprised look. "Really?"

"Yeah, it sounds like fun!" Ringo chuckled. "Let's see...I'm going to be busy on Sunday, but I should have time during the rest of the week. I'll have to check what days I'm not working."

"That's okay, we can figure it out later," Alysse told her, smiling contently. "You need to hurry, right?"

"Oh, right! Shampoo's going to wonder where I've been!"

* * *

Inside the Cat Café restaurant, Shampoo was wiping down one of the tables when she saw Ranma burst in with unusual haste.

"Ranma! Nihao!" she gleefully greeted him.

Shampoo walked up to put her arms around the pigtailed martial artist's neck as he approached, but he unexpectedly grabbed her wrists before she could get close enough.

"Shampoo," Ranma looked his perplexed girlfriend in the eyes, "...let's go on a training trip!"

"Training trip...?" the Amazon girl blinked.

Ranma nodded his head adamantly. "We've been stuck around here ever since we got back! I just wanna get away for a few days or a week or whatever!"

"Mmm...guess that true..." Shampoo thought aloud. "But Ranma have school, yes?"

"I'll make up for it when we get back or somethin'! Let's just...go!" he pleaded.

"Just Ranma and Shampoo?"

"Just us."

The approving look on Shampoo's face made it obvious that she liked the idea.

"_This perfect,_" she thought to herself. "_Go away alone with Ranma is good chance take things to next level..._"

"So...?" Ranma asked, waiting for his answer.

"Is okay!" Shampoo beamed.

"Alright!" Ranma said with exhilaration. "Let's get-!"

"But-!" the lavender-haired girl interrupted him, "...Shampoo tell special delivery person from China come here on Saturday. So we wait and go Sunday, yes?"

After getting all hyped up, Ranma's energy crashed with the disappointing news. "Aww c'mon, you want me to wait for three days?"

"This one delivery person no come to Japan lot. Ranma please wait? For Shampoo?" she appealed to him.

"Okay, fine...I'll stick it out, I guess," Ranma begrudgingly agreed.

Shampoo lovingly wrapped herself around his arm in appreciation. "Shampoo promise make up for wait!"

* * *

Back in China, Ryouga and Meilin were currently en route to Jukai's last known location aboard a military helicopter. There'd been no further messages sent from the Commander of the Special Operations Unit's Viper Team, meaning their objective hadn't changed: find out what happened and help Jukai if necessary.

Given the coincidental location of Jukai's emergency signal being exactly where Ryouga and Meilin were headed in their search for the one responsible for the murders at Jusenkyo, the two prisoners were prepared for the worst, and a stream of black smoke rising from the ground in the distance did nothing to ease their minds.

"Look at that smoke over there," Ryouga pointed out.

"That must be where Jukai is," Meilin said, turning to the pilot. "_Hey! Let us out here!_"

Once they'd been lowered down to the ground, the two unofficial commanders of the Orange Team hurried over to where they'd seen the smoke rising from. As they soon realized when they got close enough, that lone plume of smoke didn't do justice to the destruction that awaited them.

"Th-this is...!" the white-haired woman stammered, taken aback by the scene.

On this plain in the middle of nowhere, the landscape looked like a full-fledged war had taken place. The earth was dug up and blackened, countless trees were either snapped or cleaved apart, and, most notably, there was a vast gap in the ground that looked like a trench and appeared to stretch for over a mile, only the dirt and rock around it was horribly charred.

Ryouga could hardly find the words to describe what he was seeing. "To tear up the land like this...what...what happened here?"

The two of them turned their heads as they suddenly heard a loud squawking noise coming from nearby. Not far away, they found a falcon that looked like it was trying to get their attention sitting atop what was left of the base of a tree.

"That's Jukai's bird!" Meilin exclaimed. "Come on!"

When they got to the spot where the falcon was, they were startled to find a dirt-covered and wounded man sitting against the broken tree.

"Jukai!" Ryouga said with concern.

With fresh gashes all over his torso and his military jacket shredded as it barely hung off of him, Jukai, whose blonde hair looked brown in color from the dirt covering him, weakly looked up at the people standing next to his battered body.

"Prisoner scum, huh?" he murmured. "You're late..."

"You're lucky we're here at all!" Meilin snarled at him. "What happened here?! Where's your team?!"

"Who knows. I just got on...vacation again, finally. Felt like having a look around after hearin' your report, and look where it got me," Jukai cringed, raising his right arm a bit and pointing down at his thigh, which had a shard of wood piercing all the way through it. "Hey...pull this freakin' thing out..."

Ryouga held Jukai's leg down and quickly yanked the shard out, drawing a sharp grunt of pain from the injured soldier. Looking to stop the bleeding, Ryouga ripped off a piece of the remains of Jukai's jacket and began tightly tying it around his thigh.

"That's my favorite jacket, you horse's ass..." Jukai hissed. He was quick to shut his mouth, however, as Ryouga tightened the cloth enough to cause him another rush of pain.

"It was already in tatters. Deal with it," the directionally-challenged martial artist retorted. "Jukai, who did this?"

"Heh...that's a damn stupid question. You oughtta know, pig boy," Jukai smirked a bit.

"That was the real thing. Back from the dead...Sorceress Jusenkyo..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**


	30. QoE: Tainted Victory

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

At the Cat Café restaurant, Ringo, who'd come over first thing in the morning to see her friends off on their trip, stood outside with Ranma and Shampoo just as they were readying to leave.

"You and Kodachi ready for the match today?" Ranma asked her, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders.

"O-oh, yeah, I think so. We've been working on that coordination issue the last couple nights, and I think Kodachi's getting some of her stamina back, so we should be better than last time...I hope. But...still..." Ringo said, watching as Shampoo locked the restaurant's door, "this whole trip is awfully sudden, you guys. Right after I got to come back to work, too..."

Shampoo smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she put her key away. "It surprise Shampoo, too, but Ranma right. Is good go away for change."

"Yeah. 'Sides, a little extra free time can't hurt. Now ya got more time to help Kodachi or do other stuff 'til we get back," Ranma added, trying to brighten his former female half's outlook on the situation. "You probably ain't gonna see Alysse too much though, unless she comes and finds ya like she did the other day..."

Ringo had to giggle at the memory of her blonde-haired friend's unexpected appearance on the way back from school a few days ago. "Actually, we made plans to see each other this week!"

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at the young waitress. "You mean...like...outside this place?"

"Mhmm!" Ringo cheerfully nodded.

"You is serious?" Shampoo placed her hands on her hips, sounding annoyed. "She make so much fuss for that, too. Shampoo no understand that one..."

"Um...well, that's good then," Ranma scratched his head. "Anyway, we're gonna get goin'. Good luck with the match, Ringo. Just don't get all nervous and you'll be fine."

"Ahaha...I'll try not to," Ringo waved to them. "Be careful, you guys! And come back soon!"

"You no worry! Bye bye, Ringo!" Shampoo waved back.

As Ranma and Shampoo took off down the road, Ringo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It was time to focus on her main objective for the day.

"Okay! Time to get ready for Kodachi's match!"

* * *

Ringo met up with Kodachi just before noon, and the two of them embarked on their train rides to the island of Odaiba, each with a bag of gymnastics tools draped over their shoulders. Having not seen the sights of Odaiba before, Ringo was enjoying the ride quite a bit, particularly when things like the giant ferris wheel came into view.

Kodachi, on the other hand, was unusually quiet. She felt better than she had at the qualifying event, especially now that her eye was starting to look normal again, but there was still the feeling of butterflies in her stomach after not competing in an official match for such a long time. And this was one very important match. With a win, she would move on to the next round of the tournament. With a loss, she was finished, and she wouldn't get the chance to face Kiriko Nakajima again. And as she'd seen just days earlier, Mizuki McLoughlin was certainly a skilled enough opponent to be a threat to her.

Once the train stopped on the island, the martial arts rhythmic gymnastics duo walked for a bit before eventually making it to the site of today's matches; the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena.

"We're here..." Ringo said, marveling at the huge building. It was still about an hour and a half until the event started, but there was already a line of fans waiting to be granted access to the arena.

Beside her, Kodachi gripped the strap of her gym bag tightly, trying to ease her nerves some. Then, once she felt mentally prepared, she planted her foot forward and began moving toward the entrance.

"Let's go!"

After being given clearance to go inside, Kodachi and Ringo moved along the foyer of the arena toward the dressing rooms. At the entrance to every section of seats, they could see down into the main part of the arena that contained the ring.

"Wow! It's gigantic!" Ringo said in amazement. "Are they really going to fill all those seats?"

"No. Not today, at least," Kodachi answered. "First round matches in this tournament are quite unbalanced and can end very quickly. Only the fans with dedication will likely come to watch."

"Miss Kuno!"

From out of the the main part of the arena, a busy-looking man with a headset approached Kodachi.

"Hi there! I'm part of the production crew here," he introduced himself.

"Oh, I see. What is it?" Kodachi asked him.

"Well, we haven't received word on what music you want played during your entrance," he explained. "Did you bring some of your own, or-"

"I will not be using any."

The crew member gave Kodachi an awkward look. "Um...I beg your pardon?"

"I said I do not need any," the dark-haired gymnast repeated herself. "Is that a problem?"

"Well...n-no, I guess not," the man answered, still a bit confused. "No entrance music it is! Sorry to bother you."

As the crew member ran off to work on other things, Ringo wondered about the reasoning of her partner.

"Why don't you want any music for your entrance?"

"Music is used to uplift gymnasts and excite the crowd for their arrival. A gymnast who does not use it is written off as being inferior," Kodachi told her.

The explanation did nothing to help the understanding of Ringo, who looked even more puzzled than before.

Seeing that her second wasn't comprehending, Kodachi stopped and looked her in the eye. "I am the 11th Seed in this tournament. That means I am going to be underestimated by my opponents. Since that is the card I've been dealt, I plan on using it fully to my advantage."

"So...you're going to make them think you're not very good?" the young redhead blinked.

"Precisely," Kodachi smirked.

The two of them were continuing to walk toward the dressing rooms when Ringo began to smell a unique scent that seemed familiar to her somehow.

"What are you doing?" Kodachi asked, getting annoyed with her second's odd behavior of sniffing the air.

"I know that smell! But...hmm...do you know what it is?" Ringo asked.

"Why would I?" Kodachi snapped back at her.

Undeterred by her partner's attitude, Ringo continued to follow the scent until a cart sitting along the side of the foyer caught her attention.

From behind her cooking surface, a brown-haired girl with a large spatula noticed the pair walking by as she poured out another round of batter.

"Ringo?"

"Ukyou!" Ringo shouted, hurrying over to her classmate's okonomiyaki cart.

"Hey there, Sugar! I heard about you and Kodachi from Ran-chan, but it's still weird seeing it in person," Ukyou laughed. She briefly peeked over at Kodachi, who simply folded her arms and turned away, clearly not interested in any conversation with her old rival. "Nice to see her 'tude hasn't changed..."

"Haha! S-she's just a little nervous about today," Ringo whispered, not wanting to get herself in trouble. "What are you doing here though?"

"Business," Ukyou grinned. "When I followed Ran-chan and Shampoo here a few months ago, I noticed they didn't have many different food vendors. So after that I came back and got permission to sell my okonomiyaki during their events, and I've been making a killing!"

"Ohh...so that's where you disappear to sometimes on the weekends," Ringo began to realize. "But are you feeling okay? You just had that cold..."

Ukyou nodded her head emphatically, easing her classmate's concerns. "I'm feeling a lot better now...in more ways than one."

"Ringo! We do not have all day!" Kodachi yelled out impatiently to grab her second's attention.

"O-oh, sorry!" Ringo apologized, looking back at Ukyou. "Sorry, I'd better go! I'll see you later, Ukyou."

"Alright," the okonomiyaki chef smiled. "Good luck, Ringo. Mizuki's a tough one."

While Kodachi and Ringo walked off, Ukyou thought about their upcoming match as she continued preparing her merchandise for later.

"Kodachi against Mizuki, huh? One way or another, that should be interesting..."

* * *

Keeping true to her desire to stay low-profile, Kodachi opted to wear her plain green St. Hebereke school leotard and spent her remaining free time loosening up. As the start of the event neared, more and more noise could be heard coming from the arena seats where a large number of spectators were gathering, many of them loyal supporters from the schools of the gymnasts. Kodachi also learned that she and Mizuki would be competing in the second match of the day.

At 3 o' clock in the afternoon, with the seats roughly 60 percent filled, the first round of the Queen of Extreme Tournament continued from the previous day, starting with the opening bout between the 7th Seed, Yuki Hasegawa, and the 10th Seed, Fujiko Kobayashi. Being one of the more even match-ups of this round, the match lasted almost a full 20 minutes before the 10th Seeded Kobayashi pulled out a narrow victory.

During the ensuing intermission, crew members took Kodachi's tools from her dressing room out to the ringside area, leaving she and Ringo with the reality that the start of their match was imminent.

"Wow, I'm starting to get kind of nervous..." Ringo admitted, trying to steady her breathing to calm down.

"Well stop it then. I need you calm and focused," Kodachi told her. "We've prepared for this, have we not? Just ignore the crowd and act as though we were in my training dungeon."

Ringo closed her eyes and tried to do as her partner instructed. "Ignore the crowd...ignore the crowd..."

A few minutes later, the referee for the match opened the dressing room door to address the girls.

"It's time, Miss Kuno," she said.

Seemingly relaxed, the Black Rose stood up from her seat looking confident.

"Very well."

Once the referee had left, Kodachi turned to her fidgety second to make sure she was okay.

"Are you ready?"

Ringo lightly smacked her face a few times in an attempt to will herself out of her nervousness. "Ready!"

The two of them headed for the door, but Kodachi placed a hand on Ringo's shoulder to stop her before they went any further.

"Hmm? What is it?" the red-haired girl asked.

"I forgot to tell you something important," Kodachi said to her. "Once the bell rings, try to grab the referee's leg and trip her."

Ringo looked extremely confused by the peculiar suggestion. "W-what? But...we're not supposed to do something like that, are we?"

"Of course! It's a tradition here," Kodachi assured her. "Make sure you do it before Mizuki's second does. Understand?"

"Oh...well, okay! I don't really get it, but I'll do my best!" Ringo beamed.

What she didn't notice was the devilish smile that began to cross Kodachi's face.

"Good..."

Out in the main part of the arena, Kodachi and Ringo emerged from a corridor and into the view of the crowd as they made their way to the ring area. The complete lack of fanfare left the fans noticeably quiet and unsure what to make of the Black Rose of St. Hebereke.

"_No music? What's up with that?_"

"_She must not be ready at all. This is gonna be over quick!_"

Despite being given a polite round of applause from some members of the audience, Kodachi refused to acknowledge them as she hopped over the ropes and into the ring. While Ringo took her place outside and readied Kodachi's tools, the younger Kuno sibling leaned back into one of the corners, appearing calm as she awaited her opponent.

After a brief pause, the spotlights on the ceiling began to shine green and white and a festive song of the Celtic rock variety started playing over the speakers, signaling the entrance of Mizuki McLoughlin. Wearing her dark red hair in braids just like at the qualifying event, Mizuki, along with her second, emerged from the dressing room area wearing her green and white leotard and got a rousing ovation from the crowd.

"_This is your year, Mizuki!_"

"_This girl doesn't even have entrance music, Mizuki! You've got nothing to worry about!_"

"_Take her out quick! Save your energy for the next round!_"

Mizuki and her second slapped hands with some of the fans on their way to the ring, and then pointed to a section of students from their school that were holding up a giant banner with her name on it. She was known for putting up a good fight no matter who she was against, and that had earned her the respect of all EGF fans over time, regardless of who their favorite gymnasts were.

Having acknowledged the crowd, an energetic Mizuki hopped into the ring and bounced off the ropes a few times to get comfortable as her music faded out. Glancing over into the corner opposite her, she shot Kodachi a confident smile, but one that got no reaction out of her opponent.

With both competitors having arrived, the announcer for the evening entered the ring with his microphone to kick things off.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we continue with the first round of the Queen of Extreme Tournament!" he bellowed enthusiastically, drawing an excited roar from the fans.

"Introducing first, representing St. Hebereke School for Girls, she is making her return to the Extreme Gymnastics Federation after a three year absence! Let's hear it for Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno!"

Ignoring any applause she received, which wasn't much, Kodachi remained stoic as she relaxed in the corner of the ring with her eyes fixated on Mizuki.

"And her opponent," the announcer continued, "representing Joudai Academy and making her third straight Queen of Extreme Tournament appearance, she is the always exciting Mizuki McLoughlin!"

The half-Irish, half-Japanese gymnast struck a pose and waved to her supporters as the crowd voiced their support for her.

As the announcer left the ring, the referee for the match stepped toward the center to give the gymnasts some final instructions.

"Okay, I'm sure you both know the rules," the referee said to them. "You can win by knockout, ring out, or submission. If you land outside the ring, you lose. If you are knocked down and cannot answer my ten count, you lose. And you must use tools to attack! Continued failure to abide by the rules will result in you being disqualified. Is that understood?"

Up in the lower-priced seats, Ukyou watched on as both competitors gave a brief nod to the referee. "Here we go..."

While Mizuki grabbed a ribbon from her second, Kodachi leaned down next to Ringo to get her starting tools.

"Ringo, give me a club."

"Just one?"

"Yes."

Ringo handed Kodachi a club as instructed and waited anxiously for the match to begin.

Confirming that both girls were ready, the referee called for the bell to sound and officially start the first round match.

*_ding ding ding!_*

"_Mi-zu-ki! Mi-zu-ki! Mi-zu-ki!_"

Hearing a number of the fans starting to chant her name in the background as the match began, Mizuki looked eager to go on the attack, but waited for the moment to see how her opponent would start the match. The first move of the Black Rose wasn't something that she would have expected though.

Much to the surprise of Mizuki and many of the people in attendance, Kodachi started out by walking to the middle of the ring and holding out her empty hand as an offering of sportsmanship.

"K-Kodachi...?" Ringo stammered, baffled at the turn of events.

"What is this, some kind of joke?" Mizuki scoffed at the offering.

Appearing earnest in her intentions, Kodachi shook her head in response. "I was impressed with how you defeated me in our qualifying match, that is all. I merely wish for us to have another match worthy of our talents, and I believe we should start it off properly. What say you, Mizuki McLoughlin?"

Mizuki, who was understandably hesitant, looked around at the audience members for some additional opinions. Interestingly, she found that most of them seemed to be urging her to go ahead and shake the hand of the Black Rose of St. Hebereke.

"Well, this is mighty odd, but..." Mizuki laughed a bit. Keeping herself guarded, she slowly stepped forward and accepted Kodachi's handshake, garnering a round of cheers from the crowd. "Best o' luck, Black Rose."

Ringo nearly fainted from the shock of what she was seeing. "Sh-she actually shook someone's hand. My gosh, anything really is possible! Just think what this means for humanity! If Kodachi can change her ways, then surely anyone can...oh!"

It was then that Kodachi's second saw the referee walk by her side of the ring and remembered what she'd been told earlier.

"I almost forgot!"

Moving in quick, Ringo reached out and yanked the referee's feet out from under her, drawing a loud yelp from the woman in the black and white striped shirt as she fell flat to the ring canvas. Irritated, to say the least, the referee spun around and glared a hole through the pure-intentioned Ringo.

"What are you doing?" she snarled.

Ringo stepped back, startled by the official's anger. "H-huh? But, I thought..."

Well aware of what was going on in her corner of the ring, a devious look crossed the face of Kodachi Kuno.

"Did I not tell you the last time?" she grinned shrewdly at her opponent. "You should have kept the luck for yourself."

In a shocking move, Kodachi then let out a loud cry and fell down to the canvas holding the back of her head.

The crowd had no idea what had happened, nor did the referee, who had just turned around to find the dark-haired gymnast grounded and in pain.

"Oww! Why you-!" Kodachi cried out, pointing an accusing finger at Mizuki. "Referee, she pulled my hair!"

"What?" Mizuki shrieked.

The referee seemed extremely puzzled as she looked down at Kodachi and then back at Mizuki. "Did you pull her hair?"

"NO!" the confused gymnast yelled.

"Liar!" Kodachi contested, still holding her head. "Look in her hands!"

As was her job duty, the referee grabbed Mizuki's wrists to check her out. "Come on, open your hands..."

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Mizuki fumed, gladly opening her hands up. "You see? Noth-!"

"What's this?" the referee interrupted.

Mizuki was speechless as she, just like the referee, found a number of black strands of hair sitting in her palm.

"_What's this?_" she thought to herself. "_Wait...when we shook hands, she must have-!_"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? You still have her hair in your hand!" the referee chided her.

"N-no! You're wrong! This is-!" the girl with braids stuttered.

It was too late for explanations. The referee blew the whistle hanging around her neck, signaling a rules infraction.

"That's a warning! One more and you're disqualified!"

A chorus of boos rained down from the seats as Mizuki's fans voiced some extreme displeasure with the referee's warning, and that was only the beginning of it. In utter disbelief of the terrible call, Mizuki's second got up on the ring apron and began shouting at the official, which drew her over to the corner to tell the second to get down. Absolutely irate, Mizuki herself then went over into the corner and got in the referee's face as well.

"How can you give me a warning for that? You never even saw it!" she screamed, throwing her ribbon down on the mat.

"The evidence was right there in your hand! Why would I not?" the referee snapped back at her.

"Kodachi put it there when we shook hands! I never pulled her hair!" Mizuki angrily protested.

"Enough! I have heard enough, do you hear me?" the referee yelled. "My decision is final! Now continue the match!"

"No!" Mizuki growled. "I am not letting this go until you f-!"

*_wham!_*

Out of nowhere, Kodachi came up from behind Mizuki and drilled her in the back of the head with her club. Being right at the edge of the ring, the force of the blow knocked the red-haired gymnast far enough over the top rope that her own weight carried her completely over it and down to the arena floor. As per the rules, Kodachi had won.

Despite the venomous reaction of the crowd, the referee immediately called for the bell and raised the hand of an extremely happy Kodachi Kuno in victory as the announcer delivered the official decision.

"Your winner by ring out, and moving on to the quarterfinals: Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno!"

Mizuki's fans couldn't believe what had just happened to their beloved gymnast. Some of them were so upset that they began showering the ring with drink cups and anything else they could get their hands on.

"_That's a load of crap!_"

"_You call yourself a gymnast? Gimme a break!_"

"Oooohohohoo!" Kodachi laughed joyously amid the scene of chaos. "Sorry to disappoint all of you, but I am simply the better woman!"

Up in the crowd, Ukyou had to rub her forehead after what she'd just witnessed. "K-Kodachi...I don't know why I'm surprised. Really, I should've known..."

Ringo, meanwhile, had a blank look on her face as she tried to process what had just transpired. Her train of thought was broken, however, when the referee for the match hopped out of the ring to confront her.

"Hey, you! If you ever trip me like that again, I'll disqualify Kodachi on the spot! You hear me?" the referee scowled at her.

Before Ringo could answer, the winner of the match quickly jumped down next to her to intervene.

"You have my apologies for the actions of my second. It was an innocent mistake," Kodachi told the referee. "I will personally see to it that she never does it again. Come along now, Ringo."

"Huh? Wait a minute-!" Ringo complained as Kodachi grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her forward.

Dodging the projectiles from the crowd with that satisfied look on her face, Kodachi pulled her second along with her to the safety of the dressing room area.

"Unbelievable..." the referee groaned.

Unfortunately for the official, she didn't notice an enraged Mizuki McLoughlin stalking her from behind. Beyond angry at how her match had turned out, the girl with braided hair spun the referee around and slapped her across the cheek, knocking her to the floor. With some of her fans urging her on, Mizuki then grabbed the stunned official by the collar of her shirt and threw her about ten rows deep into the audience to a loud ovation. She would have some punishment coming for her actions, but for now she and her fans felt like they'd gained at least a bit of redemption after being screwed over.

Back in the dressing area, Kodachi was still overflowing with elation at the match outcome.

"That worked perfectly!" the giddy gymnast celebrated. "One match finished, one to go..."

Suddenly coming to a stop, Ringo Saotome yanked her arm away from Kodachi and shot her a fiery glare.

"What is with that nasty look?" Kodachi asked.

"Did you just use me to help you cheat?" Ringo fumed.

"Cheat is such an awful word. I prefer to say that you helped me gain an advantage," Kodachi smiled back at her. "It was that Mizuki girl's own fault for looking away while the match was still going on. She has only herself to blame."

Feeling more frustrated than she ever had before, Ringo was literally shaking with anger.

"All that time helping you train...those morning jogs we did...even making me miss work...but you haven't changed at all!" the red-haired girl cried.

"I QUIT!"

"W-what?" Kodachi shrieked.

Fed up with the behavior of the Black Rose, Ringo turned around and stormed away in the direction of the exit, leaving behind a very torn Kodachi Kuno.

"You cannot just quit! Hey! Do you expect me to carry all of the tools home by myself?" Kodachi shouted, but to no avail.

The young redhead she once despised, the one that had agreed to help her, had left her side.

"F-fine! I do not need you! I can find a better second!"

Acting as though she didn't care, Kodachi began heading back to her dressing room to get changed. She looked back over her shoulder one last time to see if her second had changed her mind, but there was no one there.

"Hmph!"

* * *

Kodachi got herself dressed and, with great annoyance, took the two gym bags full of her tools that the EGF officials had brought back to her dressing room and strapped one of them over each of her shoulders. It wasn't a great deal of trouble given that she'd hardly exerted herself at all during her match, but it was hardly something that a proud Kuno should be forced to do, she thought to herself.

She had every intention of heading straight for the exit and taking the long train rides back to the Nerima Ward, but the growing sound of the crowd going absolutely crazy by the ring area drew her interest.

"Those barbarians who threw garbage at me certainly are noisy..." she grumbled.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Kodachi walked over to one of the entrances leading toward the ring and peeked out to see what was happening. As it turned out, the third match of the day was about to begin. The featured participant in the match was the 3rd Seed, Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki, and her fans, who easily made up the largest section of the audience, were being extremely vocal for their favorite gymnast.

*_clap...clap...clap..._*

The Black Rose of St. Hebereke looked over her shoulder as she heard someone slowly clapping behind her.

"Bravo, Kodachi. You won your match as only you could, and you won it the only way you could."

"Kiriko..." Kodachi hissed.

Decked out in her extravagant outfit made up of dark sunglasses, a white fur coat, and a matching feather boa wrapped around her neck, Kiriko Nakajima walked up next to the dark-haired gymnast and gazed out toward the ring.

"You completely turned the fans against you," Kiriko said.

"Who they cheer is no concern of mine," Kodachi told her. "I advanced to the next round. Nothing else matters."

"For now," Kiriko added, brushing aside her brown bangs.

Kodachi gave her rival another sour look. "You should worry about your own match, you harlot."

"Hah! It's just a formality," Kiriko laughed, showing her cockiness. "I'll make it to the finals and get my shot at the championship. You, though...you won't last through next weekend..."

With a confident smirk on her face, Kiriko raised her arm and pointed out toward the ring.

"...because you have no chance in hell of getting past _her_..."

Hearing a loud gasp from the crowd, Kodachi looked back at the ring area just in time to see the 14th Seeded gymnast flying so far through the air that she had to be caught by some audience members out in the 18th row of seats. The bell rang soon after and Sakura's hand was raised in victory, garnering a roar of applause from her passionate fans.

"Such a show-off..." Kiriko shook her head, starting to walk back toward the dressing rooms. "And don't forget, Kodachi, next weekend's quarterfinal matches won't be happening here. They all happen at the higher seed's place of choosing. That means you're going to be walking into enemy territory, surrounded by Sakura's rabid fan base."

"...have fun," she laughed.

"I will win!"

Kiriko stopped for a moment, lowering her sunglasses as she looked back at her nemesis.

"No one shall defeat this Black Rose until I have the chance to bring you down," Kodachi glared at her furiously.

Her eye twitching with irritation, Kiriko scoffed at the remark and put her sunglasses on again, turning her back to Kodachi as she walked off.

"You'll be crushed along with that baseless confidence of yours..."

* * *

Finally on her way back to the Odaiba train terminal, Kodachi was growing more annoyed with every step she took as thoughts of Ringo leaving continued to swirl around in her mind.

"That Ringo! How dare she quit and leave me like this!" she fumed, seriously considering taking the bags with her gymnastics tools and throwing them away to make her journey easier.

Kodachi didn't bother sticking around to watch the final match of the day since seeing Kiriko win, which was the likely outcome, would have only put her in a worse mood.

With the sound of a motor coming within hearing distance behind her, the young Kuno stomped onward through the summer heat.

"If that red-haired traitor thinks she can do this to me without consequences, she is very wrong!" Kodachi continued to vent as the sound of the motor got closer. "When I get home, I am finding her and giving her a tongue-lashing she will never forget!"

The increasingly loud rumbling of the motor getting to her, Kodachi spun around, unable to put up with it anymore.

"I demand you cease with that awful noise!"

As it so happened, that "awful noise" was the roar of a motorcycle, and it was speeding straight ahead with Kodachi directly in its path. Realizing that she was in danger, the dark-haired gymnast nimbly jumped out of harm's way as the motorcycle sped by, but the bags full of tools she was carrying left her off-balance and she ended up falling flat on her behind.

"Ouch!" Kodachi whined, glaring angrily at the motorcycle. "How dare you?"

As though they'd heard her, the motorcycle suddenly skidded to a halt and turned around, the rider's long, pink hair flapping in the wind as the bike closed in on Kodachi. They didn't seem like they wanted to run her over this time, though. Instead, they approached slowly and came to a stop a few feet in front of her.

Turning off the motorcycle's engine, the rider, wearing a black leather jacket with a graphic of a demon on the back and matching leather pants, leaned over the handlebars of the bike and flipped up the visor on their helmet to get a better look at her.

"Hey..." a female voice greeted her.

After getting a good look at the rider, Kodachi easily recognized her as someone she'd seen earlier in the day.

"Sakura Okazaki!" she snarled. "Trying to cause me injury before our match, are you?"

The gymnast given the nickname "Heavy Metal" chuckled a bit at the accusation.

"Sounds more like something you'd do," she retorted. "No, I just wanted to meet you once. Get to know ya a little."

Kodachi wasn't amused by Sakura's answer.

"And what makes you think I wish to get acquainted with a brute like you?" she snorted.

"Well aren't you a little ray of sunshine," Sakura poked fun at Kodachi's attitude. "Y'know, I gotta admit, I was laughin' my ass off at that stunt you pulled on Mizuki today. You sure got the crowd pissed, but that was funny stuff!"

"I was not trying to amuse you. I was simply trying to win," Kodachi eagerly pointed out.

Sakura let out a disappointed sigh as she rested her chin on her hands. "That's all any of 'em ever think about. Win, win, win."

"Are you implying there is something else of value to gain?" Kodachi questioned her.

"Maybe not for someone like you," the pink-haired gymnast replied coldly. "Me, I don't care if I never have that championship belt around my waist. I just want competition."

"Competition?" Kodachi gave her an odd look.

"Right! A good match, new challenges, the feeling of hitting and being hit, that kinda stuff!" Sakura grinned, the excitement evident in her expression. "Isn't that the best?"

Shaking her head, Kodachi finally stood up and began brushing herself off. "I do not share in your barbaric joys. I have only one goal..."

"Kiriko, right?" Sakura correctly guessed. "I don't like the little slut either, but I can tell how much you hate her. You really got everyone talkin' when you slapped her silly at qualifying! That was nice!"

"Must I repeat myself?" the irritated Kuno sibling asked, not much appreciating the pink-haired girl's compliments.

"Oh, right, right. It wasn't for my amusement," Sakura mocked her. "That's fine. I guess I'll see ya in a week then, Black Rose. Since I get to pick, we're gonna have the match on my turf, Joudai High. You can bring your fans if you have any, but I don't think you'll notice 'em with mine as rowdy as they are!"

For the moment, Kodachi didn't seem very intimidated by the scenario.

"You should be more concerned with me than whose fans are watching," she told her.

"Oh?" Sakura replied, amused. "Then let me say one thing before I go..."

There were very few things in the world that put fear into Kodachi Kuno, but the look filled with absolute bloodlust that suddenly came over the wild, pink-haired girl was enough to send a chill up her spine.

"I want a fight! I wanna see that canvas covered in blood, sweat, and tears when our match is over!" Sakura said, a dark smile crossing her face.

"And if you try to pull the same kind of garbage on me as you did with Mizuki...I'll make you wish you hadn't."

* * *

**End of Chapter 5**


	31. QoE: Vacation

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

On a tree-covered mountain range near Tokyo, Ranma Saotome carefully strolled through the thick forest with his eyes peeled, staying alert to every slight movement and sound around him. He kept looking from side to side cautiously, but hadn't seen nor heard anything out of the ordinary as of yet.

He knew there was an enemy out there, though. His enemy was quick. His enemy was dangerous. His enemy could conceal herself well. And his enemy was about to go on the attack.

From out of the corner of his eye, Ranma caught sight of a mace approaching from his right side and swung his leg upward, knocking the steel weapon out of the air and embedding it into a nearby tree. It was merely a distraction though, and he knew it. Looking upward, he spotted his lavender-haired opponent falling down toward him with her other mace raised above her head.

Relying on his quick reflexes, Ranma jumped back out of range just in time as Shampoo slammed her mace down into the ground, causing a sizable crater to expand outward from the point of impact. With Shampoo now out of hiding, Ranma wasted no time going on the offensive as he tried to sweep her legs out from under her. The nimble Amazon girl proved to be too quick for the move though, pushing herself up off the ground and planting both of her feet in Ranma's face as his leg brushed against the earth beneath her.

The pigtailed martial artist reeled backward from the double stomp, allowing Shampoo to flip back to where her other mace had landed and yank it out of the tree. From there, she took off after Ranma again, engaging him in direct combat with her twin weapons. Ranma ducked and dodged, blocked and countered, avoiding being hit with Shampoo's relentless high-speed attacks. But he soon felt his back strike something. He'd backed up into a large tree.

Seizing the opportunity, Shampoo jabbed her mace forward, but struck only wood as Ranma quickly crouched down. The opportunity was now his. With Shampoo's lower body open, he used his leg to sweep her off her feet again, this time with success.

Shampoo braced herself as she fell flat against the ground, readying to get back to a less vulnerable position as fast as possible, but Ranma was already positioned perfectly. Before the young Amazon girl could react, her companion's fist was already stopped an inch from the tip of her nose.

It was obvious from Ranma's expression just how much he was enjoying their little game, and that brought a sparkle to Shampoo's face as well.

"Look like Ranma win that one," she smiled up at him. "What score now?"

"It's uhh...huh...I lost count," he admitted, giving an indifferent shrug. "Whatever, it don't matter..."

"Yes it matter! One that lose have to clean dishes," Shampoo reminded him of their wager.

"Alright, alright," Ranma grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Next round's winner take all!"

_*growwwl...*_

Shampoo tried to keep herself from laughing as Ranma hunched over a bit, placing his hands over his growling stomach.

"Aww man," he groaned, glancing up at his girlfriend. "Y'know, on second thought..."

"Is time for dinner?" the amused Amazon girl giggled.

Ranma emphatically nodded his head. "Ya mind?"

"No really. We call game draw, both wash dishes this time," she proposed. "Deal?"

"Deal," Ranma quickly agreed, eager to get a meal in his stomach. "I'll go grab some firewood."

"Shampoo get water then. No take long."

Shampoo headed back to their camp to grab some bottles and then began making her way down to a stream not far away. They'd only set up camp a matter of hours ago, but so far things were going well. Both she and Ranma had enjoyed some training courtesy of their game, and now Shampoo would get the chance to make him even happier with some of her cooking.

"Best way to man's heart is through stomach," she reminded herself. "All go according to plan. First train with Ranma, then cook dinner, and then when sky get dark..."

Blushing, the teenage martial artist cupped her hands over her cheeks. "Shampoo get you tonight, Ranma!"

She was still working on her game plan when she reached the stream. Kneeling down, she dipped one of the plastic bottles in the water carefully to avoid getting splashed.

"Wonder what should wear?" she thought aloud. She'd brought along several "suggestive" garments for the occasion, and she planned on putting them to good use.

Shampoo looked down at the stream to see how full her bottle was, but it was then that something else suddenly caught her eye. There was a reflection in the water. She stared at it for several seconds thinking she may have been mistaken, but it was no mistake. According to the reflection, someone was standing directly behind her.

And that someone was Akane Tendo.

"Akane?" Shampoo jumped up, spinning around to confront her old rival.

Much to the Amazon girl's confusion, however, there was nobody there. She looked back and forth to try to see where Akane had gone, but there was no sign of her anywhere. It was as though she was never really there in the first place.

"What going on...?"

Shampoo was clearly perplexed, but the reflection in the water appeared to be nothing more than her imagination.

Shaking her head, she grabbed the other bottle that she'd brought along and dipped it into the stream as well. Then her eyes widened as she saw it again. It was the same reflection of Akane, only this time it was moving. Akane reached back, her eyes filled with intense rage and looking as though she were about to attack, and that was when Shampoo reacted.

The Cat Café's owner planted her hand on the ground and thrust her leg up in the air behind her to counter Akane's move. She was baffled to find, however, that there was nothing but air to strike. Falling down onto her back with a thud, she hurriedly sat up and scoured the area for signs of life.

Just like before, Akane wasn't there.

Becoming irritated, Shampoo quickly looked down into the stream again to see the reflection. The only reflection she saw this time was her own, though. The image of Akane was gone.

Flopping back down to the ground, she took a deep breath to calm herself and began rubbing her forehead.

"Maybe Shampoo need get more sleep..."

* * *

Over on the east coast of China, Ryouga and Meilin were presently preparing to leave a large military compound near Shanghai, where they'd been flown to after their latest assignment.

News of the encounter between Jukai, Commander of the Special Operations Unit's Viper Team, and a person that he believed to be the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo had spread like wildfire throughout the entirety of the Chinese military. High-ranking officials weren't ready to assume that the unknown entity was indeed Jusenkyo, but, based on information given by Jukai after his battle, they were going with the assumption that this person was the same one responsible for the deaths at the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo. Regardless of the person's identity, they now had proof that someone dangerous was out there, and that proof was going to significantly affect their plans.

As Ryouga and Meilin had found out during a meeting earlier in the day, a large number of additional soldiers were now being assigned to either seek out the dangerous entity or stand guard in towns and cities in the direction of where they were believed to be headed. The person's physical description, which had been provided by Jukai, was also disclosed at the meeting, but that information created some confusion amongst the two unofficial Commanders of the Special Operations Unit's Orange Team. The entity in question was described as wearing a black cloak exactly the same as the ones worn by the deceased men found at the Cursed Springs. They were also said to be wielding a large scythe with one hand. The use of a scythe coincided with the characteristics of Sorceress Jusenkyo, but Jukai hadn't seen the entity use it in ways that Li had reportedly been using it, nor did he ever see the scythe's blade turn black, making it seem unlikely that it was the cursed scythe, Yanlou. That idea was only further supported by the fact that Ranma was still alive, and therefore was still Yanlou's master. Other than these two items, Jukai wasn't able to discern any other physical characteristics about the person.

Information about the entity's attacks had also been provided, but it was the physical description that was on the mind of Ryouga and Meilin. Judging from the scene at the Cursed Springs, including the two sets of footprints leading away from the area, they had believed that perhaps one of the cult members had run from the scene and been pursued by the entity. But this new information raised the question of whether or not the entity was actually one of the cult members themselves. It was also possible that they had killed the cult member that escaped and stolen their cloak, but what actually happened was something that would need to be determined later.

For now, Ryouga and Meilin were going to be airlifted back to the scene of the battle between Jukai and the unknown person to resume their search.

"This whole thing keeps getting more and more confusing," Meilin complained as she and her partner walked down one of the compound's corridors. "Some sorceress supposedly gets resurrected, lays low this entire time we've been looking for her, and then makes a huge scene by fighting Jukai? I don't get it. What's she trying to do?"

"They're digging through the historical archives trying to find that out, and we probably won't know until they do," Ryouga told her. "I'm just glad we know what we're looking for now. We have to find her and take her down before she hurts anyone else."

"That's true. We probably can't have as much fun now that we know someone's out there though," the white-haired woman let out a disappointed sigh.

Ryouga placed an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder to console her. "We just have to hurry up and find her then. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can relax."

Giving him a sly look, Meilin leaned in and nuzzled against Ryouga's cheek. "Now you're talking. Let's go catch us a sorceress, honey."

Their exit from the building would be delayed by a comrade of sorts, however, as they reached an intersection of two corridors.

"Watching you two makes me want to blow chunks! Have some goddamn decency!"

Looking to see who it was, the two prisoners found a familiar, blonde-haired man leaning back against the wall with his falcon perched atop his shoulder. Oddly wearing nothing but a dark green pair of boxers, he had bandages covering much of his body. But even in places not covered by bandages, his scars of past battles were plainly visible and made it seem like he'd been to hell and back.

"Jukai..." Ryouga acknowledged him.

Meilin gave the soldier an annoyed look as she noticed his wardrobe, or lack thereof. "You're walking around the compound half-naked, and you're calling us indecent?"

"It's a pain in the ass to keep putting on clothes and taking them off again so these doctors can change my bandages," Jukai defended his choice of attire. "They sending you scum out to look for Jusenkyo again?"

"Naturally," Meilin replied. "Unlike you, I think we'll be good competition for her."

Jukai had a furious glare in his eye after the insulting remark. "Don't give me that crap! I got caught off-guard by an unknown enemy with unknown power! If it were you out there you'd be dead right now, so don't get an attitude!"

"I'll try to keep my ego in check," Meilin sarcastically responded.

Next to her, Ryouga was having trouble looking away from Jukai's shoulder where his falcon was digging its claws into his skin.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"What?"

"That thing's claws," Ryouga grimaced.

"Huh? Oh," the half-naked soldier looked over at his bird. "I'm used to it. Don't even feel it anymore, honestly. Wanna try?"

"No way! My shoulder feels fine and I'd like to keep it that way!"

"Don't be a pansy!" Jukai grinned deviously, turning to his falcon again. "Hey, buddy, go make friends with the pig."

"H-hey-!"

Ryouga backed away, but the bird left Jukai's shoulder and flew over to him with surprising quickness, perching itself atop the martial artist's shoulder and digging its claws into him.

"AHHH!" Ryouga cried out as the falcon's claws pierced his skin. "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH! GET...IT...OFF!"

Not liking Ryouga's attitude, the brown-feathered bird gave him a cross look and proceeded to pound its beak into the top of his head repeatedly.

"Oww! Oww! Augh! OWW!"

Dazed, Ryouga collapsed to the floor while the bird left his shoulder and returned to its thoroughly entertained master.

"Hahahahahaaah!"

"YOU-!" Ryouga snarled, getting back to his feet in a huff. "I'll kill you and that bird! Let's go!"

"You wanna try it, Pig?" Jukai stood pat, grinning from ear to ear.

The two emotionally-fueled men wouldn't get the chance to settle their differences, though, as Meilin interjected herself, grabbing her partner by the ear and dragging him away.

"Owowowow-!" Ryouga yelled as he was pulled along.

"You can fight him some other time, honey. We've got work to do," the white-haired warrior calmly told him.

"Hey!" Jukai called out to them.

Meilin stopped for a moment and looked back to see what he wanted.

"They probably told ya already, but," the scarred-up soldier began to say, holding up his left hand, "...watch her hands real close. She used that scythe of hers with one hand the whole time and then damn near incinerated me with some kinda magic blast from her other hand that she was probably charging the whole time. If you let her charge that attack there won't be anything left of you, so watch your asses."

"Ohh? Giving advice to the prisoner scum?" Meilin shot him an amused look.

Jukai snorted and turned away. "You guys make good decoys for me. It'd be a waste if you got yourselves killed already."

"I've got your decoy right here!" Ryouga snapped at him. "And Jusenkyo or whoever it is won't be able to fight both of us one-handed, so we'll be fine!"

"He's right," Meilin agreed with her lover. "If she tries fighting us directly with one hand, she'll be dead again before she knows it. Whatever she used against you won't be an issue."

"Maybe. Don't underestimate her though," Jukai warned them. "And don't feel bad if you scum can't get the job done. If she's still around by the time I'm healed up, I'll come steal all the glory for myself."

The white-haired warrior flashed a confident smirk in response.

"Too bad. You won't get the chance."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Japan, Ranma was trudging through the darkened forest with a stack of freshly cleaned dishes in his hands and a grumpy scowl on his face.

"I'd like to know how callin' it a draw and both washin' the dishes turned into her disappearin' while I do all the work..." he grumbled. "Where the heck did she run off to?"

With the light of the campfire guiding him back to camp, the pigtailed martial artist dumped the dishes on the ground and looked around for any sign of his girlfriend.

"Hey, Shampoo! Where are ya?"

"_Shampoo right here~!_" the young Amazon cooed.

Quirking an eyebrow, Ranma glanced over at he and Shampoo's sleeping quarters.

"You in the tent?"

"_That right! Ranma come here!_"

"Yeah, you bet I will," he fumed, still annoyed about the dishes.

Too preoccupied to even consider that anything might be odd about this situation, Ranma unzipped the door to the tent and glared inside, ready to give Shampoo a piece of his mind.

"You mind tellin' me wh-?"

Ranma went silent, his jaw dropping at the sight before him. Inside the tent, Shampoo was laying on her stomach dressed only in a hot pink lace babydoll and matching panties. The racy piece of lingerie was see-through in many areas and didn't leave much to the imagination, but there was just enough covered to grab a man's curiosity. The matching panties that she wore, which had white frills around the border, didn't hide much either as the lower half of Shampoo's bottom was clearly visible. It was an outfit perfectly designed to capture a man's attention.

With her head resting on one hand, the seductive Amazon girl slowly rubbed one of her legs against the other and winked at her man.

Feeling a stream of blood start to run down from his nose, the red-faced Ranma quickly cupped one of his hands over his face to stop it.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what the heck are you wearin'?" he stammered.

"Shampoo get this one just for Ranma," the lavender-haired girl purred. "You like what see?"

"I-I...uh...w-...I..." Ranma fumbled his speech, scrambling to find the right words.

Sensing she was getting the better of him, Shampoo slowly rolled onto her side so that Ranma got to take a look at the front of her body.

That sight was all Ranma could take. Overwhelmed, he turned around and looked away so he could think straight.

"Th-th-this is supposed to be a trainin' trip!" he said frantically. "And whatever happened to waitin' for this kinda thing?"

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts tensed up as he felt Shampoo press up against his back and wrap her arms loosely around his neck.

"Ranma...you love Shampoo?"

"Huh? C-c'mon, you know how I feel 'bout ya..."

Shampoo showed a hint of sadness as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Ranma say that, but we stay together months and Ranma no seem interested in Shampoo..."

The initial tension Ranma felt started to ease as he picked up on the young woman's unusually serious tone.

"You want take things slow. Shampoo know that..." she said to him, "...but sometimes think Ranma just no want do couple thing with Shampoo. We always is busy at Cat Café, so think maybe it different if we go out on trip, but..."

Sensing his girlfriend's uneasiness, Ranma turned around and looked into her eyes, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You really think I don't feel that way about ya?" he asked her.

Shampoo averted her eyes from his, silently affirming her worries.

"Well I do, okay? Maybe I ain't the best at showin' it, but I do. I mean it," he told her sincerely.

Encouraged, the lavender-haired girl looked up at him again.

"Then you show Shampoo?"

The returning nervousness evident in his expression, Ranma turned away from her again and began scratching his head.

"Look, we...uh..." he stuttered, briefly glancing over at some nearby bushes, "we can't do that kinda stuff out here."

The reply again had Shampoo feeling like Ranma was disinterested.

"Why? Why we no can do that?" she cried.

Patiently, Ranma walked over to the campfire and flipped one of the burning pieces of wood into the air with his shoe.

"'Cause I don't feel like puttin' on a SHOW FOR SOMEONE!"

Shampoo blinked in confusion as Ranma booted the fiery chunk of wood into the bushes.

"OWW!"

Grabbing his head, a man in a white karate gi and bandana, which was now on fire thanks to Ranma's burning projectile, jumped out from the bushes.

"Owowowowowoww! HOT!" he frantically patted down the bandana to put out the flames. "What was that for, Ranma?"

The pigtailed boy folded his arms and shot his father a disappointed look. "I know I shouldn't be surprised at anything you do anymore, but really, Pop? Spyin' on us way out here?"

Smoke began rising from Genma's bandana as the fire on his head was finally put out.

"I didn't come here to spy, boy! I was-"

*_whack!_*

Interrupted in violent fashion, Genma fell backward and crashed to the ground after one of Shampoo's maces hit him square in the side of his face.

"You stop talking right now!" Shampoo demanded, covering up her chest with one of her arms. "It no matter why you is here! Training trip for Ranma and Shampoo, and that it! Now you go!"

Genma let out a pained groan as he pried the mace away from his reddened cheek. "J-Just hear me out-!"

"Shampoo no listen~!"

"But...but I just needed a break, so I came out h-"

"Still no listen~!"

"Nodoka keeps telling me to get a job, and I don't want to g-"

"You is deaf? Shampoo no care! Go home! Shoo!"

Practically in tears, Genma turned to his son for help. "Ranma, you talk to her! Help me out here!"

Seemingly not as bothered by his father's presence as Shampoo was, Ranma walked over to where Genma was and placed a hand on his shoulder as he knelt down next to him.

"I owe ya one, Pop. You're the perfect excuse," he graciously thanked him, making sure Shampoo didn't hear.

Genma batted his eyes curiously. He wasn't expecting his son to be anywhere near this welcoming.

Smiling with relief, Ranma threw his hands up in the air and looked back at Shampoo. "Well, we can't just leave him to fend for himself. 'Sides, he can hang around and help us train."

"Th-that's right! I can help!" Genma said excitedly.

Shampoo looked at Ranma as though he were out of his mind. "What you talking?"

"C'mon, it's fine, ain't it? We can even make him do the dishes," Ranma suggested, drawing a scowl from his father.

In reality, Ranma didn't really want his father to be hanging around for this training trip. He was, however, a great way to get out of this whole conversation that Ranma didn't want to have with Shampoo right now.

"...Ranma really want that?" Shampoo lowered her head.

"Yup! It's definitely for the best," Ranma patted his father on the back. "So, whadya say we-"

*_whack!_*

"Aaaagh..."

Shampoo's other mace caved in the side of Ranma's face, causing him to collapse to the ground twitching in pain.

Visibly angry, the Amazon girl climbed back into the tent and zipped herself inside.

"Ranma sleep on ground tonight!"

Folding his arms, Genma took a seat next to his fallen offspring and nodded his head knowingly.

"Ranma, my boy, women can be truly terrifying. Don't ever forget that."

* * *

**End of Chapter 6**


	32. QoE: Swallowing One's Pride

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Deep within the Kuno estate, inside the room filled with gymnastics tools that Kodachi called her training "dungeon", stood the Black Rose of St. Hebereke in her green school leotard. Thanks to her controversial victory several days ago, she was now a quarter-finalist in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's Queen of Extreme Tournament. That in itself would seemingly be reason for celebration, but Kodachi Kuno was anything but happy at the moment.

Frustration getting the better of her, she roughly twirled a plastic hoop around her right wrist, her eyes locked on a pencil jammed into the top of a large block of wood on the other side of the room. It was a basic form of accuracy training that she'd never had a large amount of difficulty with, and yet the floor surrounding the wooden block was now littered with hoops that had missed the small target.

"HIT IT!" Kodachi shouted, hurling her hoop at the ill-fated writing utensil.

It was another blow to the dark-haired gymnast's ego when the hoop sailed left of the pencil, slapping against the wall and falling amongst the pile of other tools. Beyond discouraged at this point, Kodachi dropped to her knees and pounded her fists against the floor.

"Why...?" she quietly seethed. "Why? Why? Why...?"

The sound of the dungeon's door could be heard opening as the Kuno family servant came to speak to the struggling girl.

"Mistress Kodachi? Dinner is-"

"WHY?" Kodachi turned to Sasuke and screamed, startling him enough that he fell over backwards. "Why can I not hit that insignificant little pencil? Why?"

"I-I-I don't know, Mistress...!" the frightened Sasuke shook. "M-maybe you're just not aiming right?"

"My aim is perfect! PERFECT!" the Black Rose snapped at him, pounding the floor again with a defeated demeanor. "How will I defeat that pink-haired beast if I cannot even perform something as rudimentary as this? Why does nothing work properly when my form is flawless?"

Clearing his throat, Sasuke hopped up into a kneeling position before Kodachi. "If I may comment, Mistress...you seemed to be enjoying yourself quite a bit when training with Miss Ringo, and everything was working well then..."

Kodachi shot her servant a cold look. "Are you insinuating that I liked having that girl around?"

"Well...yes," Sasuke nervously responded.

"That is absurd!" Kodachi shrieked. "I despise her with every fiber of my being! I only brought her here because I lacked options! And she quit on me! How dare she have the nerve to quit on the once more rising star of the martial arts rhythmic gymnastics world?"

"You know, Miss Ringo seems to be a very kind and forgiving person," Sasuke mentioned to her. "I'm sure a simple apology would go quite far in convincing her to be your second again, Mistress."

The younger Kuno sibling was shocked by the very thought. "Apology? I still agonize over the apology I gave when I recruited her! Me, a proud Kuno, apologizing to that quitter once more is unthinkable! I shall do no such thing! I would rather compete in my next match without a second!"

With a resigned sigh, Sasuke shook his head and started walking toward the door.

"Earning your match against that Kiriko girl may be out of the question then. Your dinner is ready whenever you wish to eat, Mistress."

Kodachi remained seated on the floor of her dungeon after her servant had taken his leave. Just hearing Kiriko's name had been a reminder of how much she detested her. Finding a new second to aid her would be nearly impossible mere days before her next match though, and she resentfully had to admit that Sasuke was likely right about her chances of victory if she didn't have one. If she wanted her chance to redeem herself against Kiriko, there was only one feasible option.

"Apologize to her? Never!" she fumed. "Even asking for her assistance in the first place was a stain upon the Kuno name! I shall not tarnish it any further!"

The Black Rose grabbed a hoop from near her feet and flung it at the pencil, hoping to discover that her earlier misses were all flukes. This one would be no different, however, as it bounced off the front of the wood block instead.

Ashamed, Kodachi hung her head once more.

"A promising woman such as I should not be in such a pitiful state..."

* * *

"Hmm hmm hmmm~"

Standing next to her desk at Furinkan High School, Ringo Saotome was happily humming to herself while she gathered up the night's necessary study materials and stuffed them into her book bag. She was still miffed over the whole falling out with Kodachi, but today was one day where she would have a nice distraction from thoughts of the weekend's events. This was the day that she and Alysse had agreed on to meet up after school.

Ringo still had no idea how she and her friend from the Cat Café were going to spend their time tonight, but she had a hunch that it would probably be fun no matter what they ended up doing.

"You sure look happy, Sugar," a familiar voice suddenly said from the doorway.

"Ukyou!" Ringo greeted her schoolmate. "You can tell, huh? I'm meeting a friend after school."

Misunderstanding the situation a bit, the okonomiyaki chef gave the innocent redhead a sly look. "Ohh? Got yourself a date, huh?"

"A date? No, no, it's nothing like that," Ringo tried to explain herself.

"Uh-huh," Ukyou wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "Come on, what's he like? You can tell me..."

"It's not a he, it's a she," the young waitress corrected her.

Disappointed, Ukyou let go of her friend and leaned up against another desk. "Aww, it's really not a date? That's no fun."

"I told you it wasn't..." Ringo chuckled. "It's just a friend I see at the restaurant a lot. It's too bad Ranma and Shampoo had to go on that trip, but I'm really glad I have the time now to go out tonight."

"After seeing you at the arena over the weekend, I figured you'd be training with that Pain-in-the-butt Rose all week," Ukyou said.

The girl with the spatula on her back could see that mentioning Kodachi had brought a look of discomfort to the face of her friend.

"...You're really not gonna help her?"

"No," Ringo answered without hesitation. "I like to help people when they need it, but I won't help someone that lies to me."

Ukyou nodded her head, understanding completely. She'd witnessed Kodachi's trickery first-hand from the upper deck of the Hiroyuki Tanaka Arena, and she wasn't any more impressed with it than Ringo was.

"I can't say I blame you. That was pretty sneaky of her," she said. "But, you know...as someone who's been watching those girls go at it while I sell my okonomiyaki, I kind of wanted to see what you and her could do together. It's too bad."

Ringo stopped momentarily, sighing lightly as she looked over at Ukyou. "I'm sorry..."

"Huh? Oh, hey, it's okay! Like I said, I don't blame ya, Sugar!" the young cook quickly tried to cheer her back up. It was probably time to drop the subject, she realized. "Still, you'll have to find some other way of getting a workout again, huh? Just jogging doesn't cut it."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Ringo replied more cheerfully. "Once Shampoo gets back, she'll be asking to spar with me again. She's going to be tougher than ever after that trip, too."

"Oh, please. She's not so tough. I could pound her into batter," Ukyou snorted, not thinking highly of the Amazon warrior.

That comment, as it turned out, would draw an unexpected reaction from Ringo.

"Umm...sure," the redhead nervously smiled. "Please don't try it, though. I don't want to see you get hurt..."

The lighthearted demeanor quickly disappeared from Ukyou's face as she stared at her worrisome friend.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in a serious tone.

Ringo batted her eyes, surprised by the okonomiyaki chef's change in attitude. "W-well, it's just-"

"What? You don't think I can beat her?" Ukyou asked, a sharp glare in her eyes.

"No! No, nothing like that! It's just..." Ringo scrambled for an explanation, "...well...Shampoo is really strong! And...well...you haven't been fighting with anyone for a long time now...just running your restaurant...so..."

An odd, dazed look came over Ukyou as her eyes began to drift away.

"Umm...Ukyou?" Ringo looked at her with concern. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong. Are you okay?"

The brown-haired girl didn't respond. She just placed her hands against her forehead and began running her fingers through her hair.

"Um...well...I need to hurry up and go so I can meet my friend. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?" Ringo smiled.

"Yeah...sure thing..." Ukyou answered her weakly.

Ringo didn't want to leave her friend in such a state, but she had a promise to keep with Alysse and she knew how much she was looking forward to tonight.

"Okay, then. See you tomorrow, Ukyou!" she waved, reluctantly leaving the emptied classroom.

The okonomiyaki chef remained in the classroom by herself long after most students had headed home for the day. She wasn't angry about what Ringo had said. It was the truth. It was a truth that hurt, though. It didn't hurt in the same way Ranma choosing Shampoo had, nor in the same way as watching Akane leave, never to return. Rather, it hurt her pride as a martial artist.

* * *

"Man, I'm beat..."

Out on their tree-covered mountain range near Tokyo, Ranma and his father were taking a short reprieve from their rigorous training routine.

"Come on, Ranma! You shouldn't need a rest already. Let's go!" Genma chided him.

"Says the guy that's taken three breaks of his own so far," Ranma grumbled. "Practice what ya preach, Pop."

"I'm not a teenager in the prime of my youth!" the seasoned martial artist retorted. "You kids today, always whining. Back in my day-"

"Save it, Pop. I ain't interested," his son cut him off. "Hey, so long as you're here, can I ask you somethin'?"

Grudgingly, Genma took a seat on the ground and leaned back against a tree. "What is it?"

Even though he'd only seen one attack from Jukai, Ranma had often wondered about it since his encounter with the Chinese soldier and wanted to hear someone else's opinion on it.

"You ever fight someone who kept spinnin' around when they were attackin'?" he asked his father.

"Spinning around?" Genma raised an eyebrow. "You mean like a top?"

"Yeah."

"Of course not," the middle-aged man was quick to reply. "If anyone did that, they'd get dizzy and leave themselves wide open. Nobody's that dumb!"

The dizziness factor was something Ranma had thought of as well, but he wasn't entirely convinced that it was an issue that couldn't be overcome.

"Let's just say it didn't make 'em dizzy," he said. "Then what?"

Genma closed his eyes and quietly pondered to himself for a moment.

"It's still a dumb idea!" he concluded. "If someone were spinning fast enough, their attacks would be tough to read, I'll admit. They'd probably be stronger, too. But if they're spinning, they're leaving their back open in small intervals! Any martial artist who's worth their salt could time their moves just right to attack when the guy can't defend!"

As Ranma figured, he and his father were thinking along the same lines on this one. He had no idea just how often Jukai spun around like he had when he first attacked outside the restaurant, but he figured the soldier had to be leaving his back unguarded a lot. It didn't seem smart, but Jukai did strike Ranma as the type of person who might take a few shots if it meant a better chance of delivering his own to an opponent.

"Heads up, boy. Here she comes..." Genma suddenly tossed out a warning to his son.

Carrying some bottles of water back from the stream, Shampoo was strolling through the forest toward the Saotome boys on her way back to their campsite. For the past three days she'd been wearing an indifferent expression on her face and giving her pigtailed beau the cold shoulder, and now was no different.

"Y-yo, Shampoo! I can't wait to eat your cookin' tonight! What're we havin'?" Ranma asked in an upbeat tone, continuing a futile three-day effort to lighten the mood between them.

The Amazon girl shot him a brief glance, but quickly turned away.

"Shampoo boil rocks for you dinner," she venomously responded.

The thought of eating rocks left a look of disgust on Ranma's face as Shampoo left he and his father behind.

"Man, she's still ticked..." he sulked.

Shampoo wanted this trip to only be for she and her companion, so Ranma inviting his father to join them didn't sit well with her, to say the least. Ranma knew he had to do something to make things right, but there wasn't an easy solution to this situation. He would kick Genma out in a heartbeat if that was all it took, but the steadily increasing pressure Shampoo was putting on him to consummate their relationship when they were alone had him nerve-wracked.

Looking unhappy himself all of a sudden, Genma hopped to his feet and grabbed his son by the shirt.

"I've had it with this!" he growled. "Listen to me, boy! I know you don't like coming to me for advice, but when the woman you love starts boiling you rocks for dinner, something needs to be done!"

"You're just mad 'cause she ain't cookin' you nothin' either..." Ranma gave his father an accusing look.

"You're darn right I am!" Genma shamelessly admitted. "Now what is going on?"

Not too enthused about the topic, Ranma yanked his shirt free and folded his arms in annoyance. "It's nothin', alright? Shampoo just...she wants things between us to...y'know...move to the next level."

"And...?" Genma blinked.

"And what? I ain't ready yet," Ranma huffed. "It ain't like I don't plan on doin'..._that_ with her. I just wanna wait 'til it feels like the right time. You get what I'm sayin', Pop?"

Giving an understanding nod, Genma reached out and patted his son on the back. "It's okay, boy. I understand completely."

"You do?" Ranma asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course," the middle-aged martial artist smiled. "Why, I still remember that special night that your mother and I first made love. Ohh, I'll never forget it..."

Somehow, Ranma was very quickly becoming ill. "Augh, yuck! Pop...!"

"Yes, it was really something," Genma Saotome continued, off in his own little world. "Our bodies were entwined all night long until the sun rose on the horizon. There was this cool breeze coming in from the window that made for the greatest feeling when it hit that all of the sweat that covered ou-"

Unable to bear any more, Ranma kicked his father square in the face and sent him flying off into the sky.

"THANKS A LOT, POP! NOW I'M TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE!"

* * *

With dusk fast approaching and the daylight beginning to fade, a radiant Ringo, wearing a red sundress with white daisy designs on it, and Alysse, dressed very casually in a gold tank top and blue jeans, were coming up on the Tendo home after spending a few hours of fun together.

"I guess we didn't end up doing much except walk around and window shop, huh?" Ringo chuckled.

"No, but I had fun just spending time with you," the girl with long, blonde hair smiled at her. "I'm really glad I asked you."

"I'm glad you did, too. I was really surprised when you caught me on my way to the restaurant that day!" the young waitress laughed. "Is there anything you want to do next time?"

"Next time...?" Alysse glanced over at her.

"Mhmm," Ringo nodded. "I always have a little free time, so we can go do something together again. If you want to, that is..."

"I do!" the taller girl emphatically replied, turning red with embarrassment after her excessive outburst of emotion. "S-sorry. Um...is there anything you'd like to do?"

Ringo placed a finger on her chin as she tried to come up with an idea.

"Hmm...it's been awfully warm outside lately. How about going swimming at a pool?" she suggested.

"Swimming, huh? I like it," Alysse beamed with confidence. "I go swimming a lot, actually. Maybe I can teach you my super backstroke technique."

"Oh! That sounds hard, but I'll give it a try!" Ringo said with determination.

Once they reached the Tendo household, the girl with the red ponytail stopped and motioned toward the house with her hand.

"Well, this is where I live," she said. "Umm...I'm still not sure when Ranma and Shampoo will be back, so I don't know when I'll see you at the restaurant again..."

Alysse recognized this as an issue, as well.

"Just a second..."

Ringo watched patiently as her blonde-haired friend pulled out a pen and piece of paper from her purse and began scribbling on it.

"Here," Alysse handed her the paper, albeit with a hint of hesitation. "Th-that's my phone number and where I live. Give me a call or stop by whenever you want. I'm usually the only one there, so you wouldn't be bothering anyone..."

"Really? Alright!" Ringo eagerly replied. The part about Alysse usually being the only one at her place raised the red-haired girl's curiosity, but she thought it might sound rude if she asked about it, so she opted to let it go.

The taller girl seemed relieved that Ringo didn't mind the idea of contacting her.

"Take care. I'll see you soon," she said to her.

"Yeah. You, too," Ringo smiled.

Within the estate, Soun Tendo and Dr. Tofu were seated on the wooden walkway that overlooked the garden. Each of them held a small cup of saké to their lips with the half-empty bottle sitting between them.

"This has quite the pleasant taste to it," Tofu said, lowering the cup from his mouth.

"It's always been one of my favorite blends," Soun told him, taking another sip. "I remember I drank some of it the day you proposed to my Kasumi. When Akane came home later, she couldn't stop talking about it. She was so excited for you two..."

Sensing Soun's sadness, Tofu took another sip from his cup as well. "Akane's a very strong girl, Mr. Tendo. I have no doubt she'll come back one day when she's ready."

The Tendo patriarch placed a hand on Dr. Tofu's shoulder. "You'll be marrying my daughter one day, so just call me Dad."

"Right. Sorry about that, Dad," Tofu obliged.

The young doctor's glasses seemed to fog over in an instant when Kasumi Tendo returned from inside the house and took a seat next to him.

"Ringo came home while I was finishing the dishes. It seems like she had a nice time with her friend," Kasumi happily reported. "I told her she could go ahead and use the bath, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer, Father."

"Oh, that's perfectly fine," Soun brushed it off. "I'd rather be enjoying a drink with my future son-in-law right now, anyway. Isn't that right, son?"

Completely out of touch with reality for the time being, Tofu grabbed Soun's foot and yanked it over to Kasumi, causing the mustached man to spill his saké on himself and hit his head on the wooden floor.

"H-hey now-!" Soun complained.

"Welcome back, K-K-K-Kasumi!" Tofu greeted her again, holding up Soun's foot. "Would you like some saké?"

Kasumi couldn't help giggling at her fiancé's antics. "You're so funny!"

*_whoosh!_*

The eldest Tendo daughter let out a surprised gasp as a green blur descended from the sky directly in front of her. While Dr. Tofu remained too distracted to notice, Kasumi and her father both watched as a dark-haired girl in a green leotard straightened out her posture and stared down at them.

"Greetings, peasants of the Tendo family," Kodachi Kuno acknowledged them in an immensely unflattering manner. "I wish to speak with the ponytailed one. Where might she be?"

"Hey now! Who are you calling a peasant?" Soun protested, but was quickly interrupted by Dr. Tofu tugging on his foot again. "Son, that is NOT the saké bottle!"

"Ponytailed one?" Kasumi thought aloud. "If you mean Ringo, she's in the bath right now. I'm sure she'll be done soon if you want to wai-"

"There is no need!"

With her target's location acquired, Kodachi brazenly stepped over Soun and into the Tendo home.

"Oh my, that was peculiar..." Kasumi blinked.

Presently unaware of the "guest" who had just arrived, Ringo was blissfully soaking in the hot water of the bath upstairs after her outing with Alysse.

"That sure was fun," she grinned. "I still miss helping out at the restaurant, but maybe it's not so bad having a break every now and then."

*_wham!_*

Ranma's former female half jerked forward as she was startled by the sudden sound of the bathroom door slamming into the wall.

"Wahh!" she shrieked. "S-somebody's in here already!"

Hearing footsteps coming closer despite her announcement, Ringo saw the door to the bath slide open and immediately let out a loud scream.

"You!" Kodachi glared at her.

"K-K-Kodachi?" Ringo stammered, scrambling to cover herself up. "What are you doing here? Get out!"

"I refuse!" the gymnast declared. Walking over to the side of the bathtub with a purpose, she bent down and slammed her palms down on its rim. "I cannot train properly and it is all your fault!"

"My fault?" the girl in the bath looked shocked. "You lied to me and tricked me into helping you cheat, and now you're blaming me because you can't train?"

"That is exactly right!" Kodachi answered her. "Now hurry and clothe yourself! You will come help me with my training this instant!"

Ringo couldn't believe the audacity of the woman. "No! I told you, I quit! Go find another second!"

"I...I cannot!" the Black Rose admitted, a hint of shame beginning to show in her demeanor. "I cannot possibly train a new second to be serviceable before my next match..."

Despite the slight change in attitude, Ringo wasn't about to give in to the brash Kuno's demands as she turned her head and looked away. "That isn't my problem."

Much like the time she'd first recruited the redhead to become her second, Kodachi was beginning to sense that she wouldn't get anywhere with her pride in the way. She'd never had a match against the wild-looking Sakura Okazaki before, but she knew it wouldn't be easy without a second in her corner, especially with her technique in the poor shape it was in now. And if she couldn't get past Sakura, her journey to overcome the most devastating defeat of her career at the hands of Kiriko Nakajima was over.

Something had to give here.

"Fine! I apologize!" Kodachi pounded on the rim of the bathtub, her desperation finally showing itself. "I apologize, I apologize, I apologize, I apologize, I APOLOGIZE!"

Ringo stared back at the dark-haired girl wide-eyed with pure amazement that she even had all that in her.

"Are you satisfied now? What else do you want from me? Say it!" Kodachi aggressively pounded the tub again.

While she'd been dead set against helping again from the moment Kodachi showed up, the gymnast's willingness to make amends was now grabbing hold of Ringo's kindhearted nature again.

"Okay. I want a promise," the young Saotome girl said to her. "I want a promise that you'll never lie to me again, and I want a promise that you won't cheat anymore. Promise me that if you're going to compete, you're going to be honest and you're going to do everything fair and square."

"What? But that...that goes against my very nature!" Kodachi faltered. "How do you expect me to win if I am not using the fullest extent of my abilities?"

"Then come up with a fair way to use them!" Ringo insisted, folding her arms. "I mean it, Kodachi. I'm not helping unless you promise me you'll do things the right way."

Kodachi Kuno was tormented on the inside by the very thought of having to compete cleanly in her matches. But with Ringo graciously offering her another chance, this was an opportunity she would be ill-advised to pass up.

"I...promise..." she painstakingly mouthed through her clenched teeth. She could've sworn she felt part of herself dying on the inside with those two words.

Not sure whether she was making a good decision or not, Ringo took a moment to look into the dark-haired girl's eyes before answering her. "Fine, I'll be your second. But if you lie or cheat even once, I'm never helping again."

"Yes, I understood you the first time!" Kodachi fumed, getting back to her feet and storming out of the bath area. "We are leaving in two minutes! Dress yourself!"

"W-wait, we're really training tonight?"

"You heard me!" Kodachi snapped, slamming the bathroom door behind her as she left.

Taking an exhausted breath, Ringo wearily slid down into the bath water and began blowing bubbles with her mouth.

"_Here we go again..._" she thought.

* * *

**End of Chapter 7**


	33. QoE: Heavy Metal Mayhem

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

On a tree-covered mountainside of Japan, a red-haired girl with a pigtail felt beads of sweat running down her face as she swung her limbs against the air, warming herself up for a critical task she'd decided to undertake.

"I guess I ain't been a girl much lately, have I?" she said to herself.

It had been seven long days of scrounging together meals. Seven days of training only with her father. Seven days of trying to make amends with her girlfriend while avoiding the one subject the girlfriend in question wanted to address. Seven days of the girlfriend in question ignoring her as a result. And that, the girl felt, was seven days too many. It was time to step things up a notch.

*_rustle rustle_*

Hearing sounds coming from a nearby bush, the pigtailed girl noticed a large panda staring in her direction.

"_Are you going, Ranma?_" a sign the panda held up read.

"I got to, Pop," he said. "I can't let things keep goin' like this with me and Shampoo."

Genma flipped the sign over. "_You might die_."

"Yeah," Ranma agreed, jumping around as he continued to get used to the lighter body of his girl form, "...but a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do."

Seemingly touched, the panda walked over to Ranma and put its paw on his shoulder, holding up a sign that read, "_You make your father proud._"

Ranma shot his father a skeptical look. "What is it ya want?"

Genma flipped his sign over, displaying the request, "_Bring me some of her food._"

The pigtailed girl grabbed the sign and chucked it against the panda's face hard enough that it stuck there.

"It's always about food with you, ain't it? Just remember, this is your fault too, so you gotta help me," Ranma cracked his knuckles, re-focusing himself on the task at hand. "Alright, Shampoo. Let's do this."

Meanwhile, over at the campsite, Shampoo was seated on a log with a plate of assorted food items including some rice, vegetables, and fish she'd caught in the stream. It was a simple meal, but she hadn't felt much motivation to cook anything elaborate over the past week. She'd come here to train with the man she loved, and yet she'd spent the whole time training on her own. Normally she'd be elated to prepare and enjoy a meal during her breaks, but she hadn't even cracked a smile since her first day out here. At the moment, much like during her other meals throughout the week, the melancholy martial artist was spending much of her time randomly poking her chopsticks down onto her plate without eating much.

Shampoo's mind was obviously elsewhere. She missed being close to Ranma. Badly. There was an issue between them that needed to be clarified though, and Ranma was the one who needed to clarify it.

The young Amazon girl may have been upset with her pigtailed boyfriend, but not once over the course of the week did she consider leaving and going back to the restaurant by herself. She was going to wait for him no matter how long it took.

"Stupid Ranma," Shampoo grumbled to herself. "Why you no can just talk to Shampoo?"

The lavender-haired girl's eyes went wide with surprise as she suddenly felt her plate full of food and chopsticks disappear from her hands. Hearing something land in a nearby tree, she looked up and was less than enthused to see girl-type Ranma standing on a branch with her food in-hand.

"Yo," Ranma rudely greeted her, stuffing a piece of fish in his mouth.

"Ranma..." Shampoo stood up and leered at the red-haired girl. "You give Shampoo food back."

"Nah, don't think so," Ranma brazenly refused, eating another bite.

This was definitely not the sort of exchange Shampoo wanted to have with Ranma, and the shaking of her fists in anger was a telling sign of that.

"Shampoo say you give that back!"

The Amazon warrior would have none of this behavior as she leaped up into the tree to go after him. Ranma had no intention of waiting around, though. Still keeping hold of the plate, the pigtailed martial artist began hopping from tree to tree in the opposite direction to get away.

"Whoa, now she's mad!" Ranma joked.

Unlike the fleeing redhead, Shampoo found none of this amusing and pulled out a pair of throwing knives from the pack on her waist.

Ranma glanced back at his pursuer and quickly became aware of the imminent threat.

"Crap, she's serious!"

Holding nothing back, Shampoo took aim and threw one of the knives right toward the back of Ranma's head.

Ranma landed safely on a large tree branch and veered his head to the side to avoid the dangerous object. It was a short-lived relief, however, as the branch he was standing on was hit with the other knife, breaking it away from the tree and sending it and Ranma plummeting to the ground. The first knife Shampoo threw turned out to only be a distraction while she used the second one to sever the branch below his feet.

Luckily, Ranma managed to land safely on the ground, and without spilling any food from the plate. "Whadya know? Guess all that work at the restaurant helped after all."

There was little time to celebrate before the pigtailed girl's danger sensors began going off. Very reminiscent of their training a week ago, she turned around with barely enough time to see Shampoo soaring downward from the trees above.

With his nimble girl form, Ranma parried Shampoo's fist and hopped to the side. Shampoo had no intention of following through with her attack, though. Retracting her arm, the cunning warrior sprung off the ground and launched herself at her boyfriend.

Ranma hadn't seen Shampoo this serious in a long time. She came at him relentlessly with fierce kicks and heavy punches, appearing set on teaching him a lesson for stealing her food. Having to hold onto the plate was limiting Ranma's ability to counter, but as it turned out he really didn't need it. His girl form's speed was as impressive as ever. No matter what Shampoo threw at him, Ranma was avoiding it, albeit not by a lot.

"_That girl body too fast!_" an increasingly frustrated Shampoo thought.

And that wasn't her only problem. She was getting more and more upset with Ranma, and the more she lost her cool, the more likely she was to get careless.

"_That's right,_" Ranma thought to himself, "..._just a little more..._"

Shampoo could see that her current pattern wasn't working and opted to make an adjustment. Taking Ranma's lack of a free hand into consideration, she began moving in closer before attacking.

The agile pigtailed girl was nearly slammed into oblivion by the first wave of Shampoo's tweaked offense. The young woman's fists were now catching some strands of her hair as they flew by.

"Pretty good!" Ranma grinned. If he continued to face forward and try to avoid her attacks at this range, he was going to get caught eventually, he realized. Thankfully, his pursuer was almost right where he wanted her.

Not too flattered by the compliment, to say the least, Shampoo was practically growling as she continued her assault. "Why Ranma do this?"

Flashing her a smile, Ranma took to the air again and landed on one of the tree branches above.

"Ranma!" Shampoo snarled, following him without a second thought.

This time, however, Ranma wasn't planning on running away. Grabbing the plate with his teeth, he instead used the branch to spring downward and directly at his incoming girlfriend.

Shampoo had gotten sloppy. She'd chased the red-haired girl into the air without preparing for any sort of attack. With her being caught off-guard and Ranma's mid-air combat prowess being one of his greatest strengths, this situation was simply not in her favor. She was only able to begin getting a counter ready by the time Ranma had reached her, leaving her completely vulnerable.

It was lucky for Shampoo that Ranma wasn't an enemy. Rather than attack her, he grabbed her out of the air and took her into his arms. Then, once he touched ground, he took the stunned Amazon girl and hopped up into the air again, bouncing off of a large branch and over several other trees before finally landing in a spot next to the stream running through the mountain.

Ranma stood up with Shampoo in his arms, smiling down at her with the plate still clenched in his teeth, but that smile wouldn't last long as the once more agitated girl wrapped her hands around his throat and began squeezing.

"RANMA~~!"

*_yawn_*

Picking up on the sound of someone yawning next to them, Shampoo spun her head around and found something quite unexpected.

Next to the stream was a large beach umbrella and a white lounge chair that would usually be seen at a pool. And there standing beside the chair stood Genma in his panda form, unenthusiastically flapping an over-sized leaf up and down to emulate a fan.

Batting her eyes at the puzzling sight, Shampoo loosened the grip on Ranma's ailing windpipe.

"What this?" she asked.

His face still showing the effects of Shampoo's death grip, Ranma laid her down on the chair and took the plate out of his mouth, gasping for air.

"Jeez, did ya have to choke me like that?" he coughed, taking a few moments to gather himself. "This is to make up for me bein' an idiot this week, alright?"

Digging the chopsticks into the food dish, Ranma grabbed a piece of fish and held it out near Shampoo's mouth.

"Here."

While Shampoo could see that Ranma was trying to make amends with her, she felt that this wasn't enough to erase everything that had happened. Folding her arms, she ate the food from the chopsticks and then defiantly looked away from the pigtailed girl.

"Ranma think you treat Shampoo nice and all better?" she asked him accusingly.

"Nah, this probably ain't enough," he admitted, offering her another bite from the dish. "So tell me what it's gonna take, Shampoo. I'm listenin'."

Genma decided to take the opportunity to stop and give his arms a rest since his son's girlfriend didn't seem overjoyed by the gesture. The look she gave him as soon as he stopped made him think otherwise, though.

"Shampoo no say you stop fan," she told him. With a sad groan, the panda resumed its leaf-waving duties.

The lavender-haired girl, who seemed to be making herself comfortable despite her protests, ate the next bite Ranma was offering and laid back in the chair.

"Shampoo want same thing as before," she said to him. "You tell Shampoo why you no want do couple thing."

The request didn't surprise Ranma in the least. It was going to be embarrassing, but he was going to have to give her an answer.

"Fine, you really wanna know?" he asked, taking a seat next to her on the chair. "It ain't 'cause I don't like ya, Shampoo. It's the exact opposite."

Shampoo raised an eyebrow at him. "What you talking?"

Ranma's embarrassment was starting to show as his cheeks took on a reddish color. For a tough guy like him, talking about this sort of thing wasn't easy.

"It's 'cause I really like ya, okay?" the pigtailed girl told her. "It ain't like I don't wanna do..._that_ kinda stuff with you, I just wanna wait 'til it feels like the right time 'cause...well...I want it to be special."

There was a clear look of surprise on Shampoo's face. She wasn't expecting something so genuine from him.

"Ranma no want do those thing yet because...Ranma love Shampoo?"

"Yeah, that's right. Jeez, I can't believe you made me say that..."

Starting to tear up, Shampoo wrapped the redhead in a tight hug. Those words from Ranma were so touching that she was already forgetting all of the negativity from this trip.

"Silly Ranma, why you no tell Shampoo that before?"

"'Cause guys don't say touchy feely stuff like that. It ain't manly," Ranma explained to her. "Whatever, it's fine so long as ya understand. Can we stop fightin' now?"

Happily nodding her head, Shampoo planted a kiss on the pigtailed girl's lips and laid back in the chair.

"Hey, I'm in my girl form!" Ranma complained, feeling awkward about the kiss.

"Shampoo like boy Ranma more, but girl Ranma still Ranma," she giggled. "Shampoo ready for more now."

"More?" Ranma asked.

Shampoo gestured to the plate in the pigtailed girl's hands.

"You still want me to feed ya?" Ranma blinked.

An affirming nod from his girlfriend made the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts chuckle with amusement.

"Fine, I get it. Just this once, though."

With everything cleared up between the two of them, Shampoo was able to thoroughly enjoy the royal treatment. Afterward, they both agreed that this trip had turned out to be a mess and that they should probably head home tomorrow to check up on things. But they also agreed to go on another trip the next time they were able to, and next time it really would be by themselves.

* * *

Several years after the inception of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation, owner Hiroyuki Tanaka implemented an idea where the quarter-final and semi-final matches of the organization's annual Queen of Extreme Tournament would be held at the place of choosing of the higher-ranked seed in each match. By holding matches at various places around Japan, he hoped to increase the already growing popularity of martial arts rhythmic gymnastics. The move would turn out to be a success, and it also encouraged the gymnasts to aim for the top seeds in the tournament so that they could have their matches where it would benefit them the most.

This initiative put in place years ago was the reason why Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno and her second, Ringo Saotome, were currently standing in a gymnastics ring outside Joudai High School in the northern part of Tokyo's Suginami Ward, the school attended by the 3rd Seed at this year's tournament and arguably the most popular gymnast in the EGF today, Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki.

"Boys and girls of Joudai High, the following is a quarter-final match in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's Queen of Extreme Tournament!"

The sea of Sakura's fans, all dressed in pink and black attire, roared their approval from around the outdoor ring as the match neared its start. There was some confusion from Kodachi upon her arrival as to why the ring was outdoors rather than inside the gymnasium, but it turned out that it was done at Sakura's request as she liked the outdoor atmosphere better. It was an unusual request of the school, but the pink-haired gymnast's proud representation of them left the school's officials with very little reason not to accommodate her.

"Introducing first, the visitor," the announcer said, immediately rousing a chorus of boos from the hostile crowd. "Hailing from St. Hebereke School for Girls, she is the 11th Seed in this year's tournament, Kodachi 'The Black Rose' Kuno!"

"_BOOOOOOOOOOO!_"

The younger Kuno sibling had entered the ring with little fanfare, once again wearing her plain green school leotard and declining to use entrance music so as to continue with her plan to make her opponents underestimate her. She'd heard her nemesis, Kiriko, insinuate that the fans here would be rowdy, but she was still surprised at just how passionate they turned out to be.

"_Heavy Metal's gonna rip you apart, you hear me? Rip you apart!_" one of the fans shouted.

"_Better call the ambulance now! You're gonna need it!_" another taunted her.

The fans didn't stop at verbal taunts. Kodachi and Ringo had to watch themselves as the Joudai High fans began tossing rolls of toilet paper at them.

"How dare you barbarians throw objects at me?" Kodachi snarled at the crowd, smacking one of the rolls back at them.

Practically hiding behind the dark-haired gymnast, Ringo was feeling incredibly nervous about the unfriendly atmosphere. "Kodachi, are you sure we're safe here?"

In the opposite corner of the ring, Sakura and her second couldn't hide their amusement as their home field advantage worked its magic. Sakura's eyes were lined with silver face paint to compliment her black leotard that had pink slashes up by the shoulders, metal spikes surrounding the collar area, and a large, silver crossbones design on her abdomen. She and her second, a girl nicknamed Ruby who had light brown hair with blonde streaks and was dressed like she was ready for a rock concert, kept waving their arms to the fans to urge them on.

"You there!" Kodachi snapped at her opponent. "You and that greasy-looking girl had better get these mongrels under control! I shall not stand for this behavior!"

"Awww, are they being mean?" Sakura mocked her, sharing a laugh with her second. "Deal with it, Princess! You're in my world now!"

Kodachi bit her bottom lip, quietly seething in her corner. These were part of the stipulations of the tournament and she had no grounds to protest it. She would just have to stick it to the rowdy crowd by defeating their representative, she thought.

"And her opponent," the announcer continued, drawing an explosive cheer from the fans. "From right here at Joudai High School, she is the 3rd Seed at this year's tournament, Sakura 'Heavy Metal' Okazaki!"

Sakura climbed the ring ropes and threw her arms into the air to acknowledge her loving people, who all began chanting her name in unison to get her pumped up.

"Are you ready, Joudai?" she screamed at them, grinning wildly with excitement.

Although they'd seen her before at the qualifying event, what immediately struck both Kodachi and Ringo about the pink-haired gymnast that they hadn't noticed back then was how well-defined her muscles were. They hadn't seen her up-close before, but Sakura's body was in impressive shape and Kodachi was beginning to understand how she was able to knock her opponents clear into the crowd with the mere swing of a club.

The main concern of the Black Rose wasn't Sakura's strength, though. Rather, it was not knowing what sort of modifications the girl from Joudai High had made to her set of tools. Kodachi could make a plan once that knowledge was attained, but she would have to be somewhat careful in the meantime.

"Alright, seconds to the outside! It's about time to begin!" the referee said, directing Ringo and Ruby to leave the ring. "Here are the rules, girls. You can win if you knock your opponent out, if your opponent lands anywhere that isn't part of this ring, or if your opponent is disqualified or gives up. Grounds for disqualification are using anything but the tools to attack, using a forbidden tool that is too dangerous for this match, or if your second gets physically involved in the match. Once a significant hit is delivered and someone is knocked down, say the word and I will count to ten. If you cannot stand up by the count of ten, you will be considered unable to battle any longer and your opponent will be victorious. Do you understand the rules?"

Kodachi and Sakura both nodded in response. Sakura still had an enthusiastic smile on her face that looked like she was about to have the time of her life. The referee then sent both of them to their corners to get their starting tools and readied to begin the match.

Outside of Sakura's corner, Ruby dumped out the contents of two large garbage cans onto the ground. A large variety of tools, both common and unorthodox, spilled out onto the grass at her feet. Kodachi and Ringo weren't sure what all was there, but whatever it was made a lot of clanking and jingling noises on the way out.

"Ringo, a normal club and one of the blue ribbons," Kodachi ordered from her second.

"Here!" the redhead handed her the tools. "Are you still using that plan?"

"Yes," the confident Kuno girl answered. "Just do as we practiced and make sure you keep up with me."

Ringo had seen a noticeable improvement in Kodachi's body after she'd eaten properly for the last couple of weeks, but her conditioning definitely hadn't had enough time to improve to the same point as someone like Sakura. The longer the match went on, the more it favored Kodachi's opponent. She could only hope that Sakura would make a mistake that would give Kodachi an early win.

"_Wait, wait, wait!_"

Everyone in and outside the ring turned around as the sudden blaring sound of a megaphone interrupted things. From one side of the school, four strapping men walked toward the back of the crowd with a throne resting on their shoulders. And sitting atop that throne, protected from the sun by an umbrella positioned over her head, was none other than Kiriko Nakajima. With a red megaphone in her hand, Kiriko, who was wearing a polka-dot bikini with black sunglasses and her white feather boa around her neck, sipped a cold drink from her other hand as though she were relaxing on a beach somewhere.

"Since I already won my quarter-final match, I thought I'd come see my pathetic competition for the next round," the brown-haired diva said into the megaphone as her servants of sorts stopped at the back of the crowd. "Oh, and Sakura...I don't like you, but please do our organization a favor and show that piece of garbage you're facing that she doesn't belong here."

"Kiriko..." Kodachi hissed at her brazen nemesis. The fans had similar sentiments, booing the outsider and hurling insults her way.

Sakura seemed more amused than anything, nodding her head and mockingly blowing a kiss in Kiriko's direction. "I'll be in the semi-finals in a few minutes, sweetheart! Wait for me!"

The rowdy crowd was bad enough, but this was the distraction of all distractions for Kodachi. She couldn't believe Kiriko had invaded this place to watch the match, and it made her furious. But on the other hand, it may have been good motivation. Beating Sakura meant Kodachi could wrap her ribbon around Kiriko's neck in the next round.

"Just one victory. Then that witch is mine," Kodachi said, taking a deep breath to settle herself down. It was time to re-focus on the match at hand.

Unlike Kodachi's previous opponent, Sakura was tossed a pair of clubs to start the match. After one final check from the referee, the signal was given for the bell to ring and the match to begin.

*_ding ding ding!_*

Sakura appeared ready to tangle right from the get-go, excitedly hopping up and down a couple times before starting to move toward her opponent, but the Black Rose of St. Hebereke had other ideas. To the immense disapproval of the Joudai High crowd, Kodachi held out her hand in an offer of sportsmanship just as she had before her last match.

"Hah! As if that rubbish would work again," Kiriko scoffed at the move from the crowd.

"H-hey, Kodachi! You promised!" Ringo warned her, referring to her questionable tactics of last time.

"I am not planning anything," Kodachi defended herself. Whether she could be trusted or not, however, was still up in the air.

Regardless of the true nature of her intentions, Sakura appeared nothing short of entertained by the gesture, pointing and sharing another laugh with her second.

"Are you kidding me? You think I don't remember what you did to Mizuki? Forget that crap!" she adamantly declined the handshake. "Tell ya what! You give me a good fight and then maybe, MAYBE, I'll shake your hand!"

With a slight smirk, Kodachi rescinded her handshake offer and held her ribbon out in front of her.

"I accept those terms."

Sakura was nearly knocked off her feet as Kodachi began twirling her ribbon forward, sending some intense wind pressure and a storm of black rose petals in her direction. Having a hard time seeing, Sakura crossed her arms in front of her face to protect herself from the stinging petals.

"It's gonna take more than a little wind gust and some flowers to stop me!" Sakura shouted.

There was more to Kodachi's attack than just wind and flowers, though. With her vision still impaired, Sakura was unable to see a weighted metal chain coming at her. The chain wrapped itself around her arms and upper back several times, effectively restricting her upper body movement.

"What the hell?" she yelled.

With her opponent bound and unable to defend herself, Kodachi was ready to put the second part of her attack into motion. She raised her ribbon above her head and allowed it to twirl around herself rapidly, creating a shield of sorts.

"Ringo, now!"

The crowd watched with growing concern as Ringo began tossing countless clubs into the ribbon swirling around her partner. One by one, the clubs bounced off the ribbon and were sent flying across the ring.

"Like that'll work!" Sakura growled.

Sakura tried charging at Kodachi to stop her, but she quickly found herself overwhelmed with the barrage of projectiles. A club smashed into her forehead like a rocket, knocking her back into the ropes. Several others careened off her arms and ribs. Another smashed into her thigh, and then another directly into her kneecap.

"Ringo, time for the finale!" Kodachi called out to her second.

The girl with the red ponytail wasted no time grabbing an open sack from her bag of tools and tossing it into the ring. When the sack hit Kodachi's ribbon, hundreds of marbles that had been contained within exploded outward. While most of them went out into the crowd, enough of them pelted Sakura all over her body that she let out a cry of pain and dropped to a knee.

"You can't be serious...!" Kiriko said in disbelief of how well her rival was doing.

Kodachi could see that now was her chance to put an end to the match. Letting her ribbon drop to the mat, she stormed ahead with her single club to put Sakura away.

"_How perfect. She cannot even fight back,_" the confident Kodachi thought to herself. "_Now all I must do is pummel her into submission._"

Sakura wasn't done just yet, though. Gritting her teeth, the wild-looking girl let out a primal roar as she tried to muscle her way out of Kodachi's chain. Unbelievably, the chain's links actually started to bend and come undone.

"What?" Kodachi's eyes widened.

Then, with one last burst of energy, Sakura let out another deafening scream and amazingly caused the chain to break in several places, freeing herself from her confinement. With the chain falling to the ring mat in pieces, Sakura glared up at her opponent like an animal that had just been let out of its cage. Needless to say, Kodachi hadn't been expecting her chain to break. She could have retreated, but with victory so close she made the quick decision to stay the course and try to end the match here.

Kodachi reached back, as did Sakura, and the two gymnasts smashed their clubs into each other. It wasn't long before Kodachi realized the error in judgment she'd made. Sakura's raw power knocked Kodachi's club back into her face and sent her flying backward until she slammed into her corner of the ring. With a dazed look on her face, the dark-haired girl wearily slumped down into a sitting position.

"Kodachi!" Ringo cried.

"_There you go!_" one of the fans shouted.

"_Don't scare us like that, Metal!_" another called out.

Much like the fans, Kiriko let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a bit after witnessing Sakura's resurrection. "I can't believe that hyena even let herself take a hit from a nobody like Kodachi."

In what was a huge break for the Black Rose, Sakura didn't go on the attack while she was stunned, choosing instead to pose for the crowd and wait for her opponent to stand.

"Kodachi, get up!" Ringo yelled again as she pounded on the mat.

The sound of the audience and Ringo's shouting finally snapped Kodachi out of her daze. Looking down at the club in her hand, she noticed a large chunk missing from it thanks to the impact of Sakura's attack. "Those clubs...they are made of steel?"

Sakura licked her lips, clanking her clubs together in response. "You got it!"

Getting back to her feet, Kodachi threw her damaged club away and asked Ringo for another ribbon.

"Alright! Let's go!" Sakura finally charged at her.

Kodachi immediately began twirling her ribbon, sending another vortex of wind at her opponent and stopping her in her tracks. Sakura planted her feet on the mat and stood firm despite the gale force threatening to knock her back.

"Same thing won't work on me twice! Hoop!" Sakura called out to her second.

The higher-seeded gymnast snatched the hoop that was thrown to her and held it over her head with both hands. Kodachi knew a mere hoop would simply be blown into the crowd by her ribbon's wind, but she assumed that Sakura knew this too. There had to be something more to it.

Before Kodachi could think ahead any further, Sakura heaved the hoop straight at her. Kodachi barely had time to move as she saw the hoop ripping through her wind attack and gunning for her face. She quickly raised her arm to deflect it, but paid a price in the process, letting out a yelp as the hoop slammed into her wrist and then fell to the ground with a thud. The hoop, as it turned out, had been made of steel, as well.

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt," Sakura taunted her opponent, grinning with delight. "You didn't think they called me 'Heavy Metal' just 'cause I like loud music, did ya?"

Kodachi grimaced, rubbing her wrist. "So that is how it is, is it? Ringo, toss me another ribbon!"

Starting to become concerned for her partner's chances, Ringo did as instructed and tossed Kodachi a second ribbon. The Black Rose stood with a ribbon in each hand, painfully gripping the one being held by her sore wrist. She would have to put the pain in the back of her mind for now, though. It was time to go back on the attack.

Kodachi flicked one of her ribbons forward and watched as it wrapped around Sakura's forearm before she could even pick up on it. As Sakura glanced at her wrapped arm, Kodachi flicked her other ribbon forward and wrapped it around the pink-haired girl's other arm.

"Oh, what's this?" Sakura gave her opponent a curious look.

Kodachi wrapped the ends of the ribbons she was holding around her own wrists until they were connected tightly to Sakura.

"Just letting you get better acquainted with your noisy fans," Kodachi smiled deviously.

With all her might, Kodachi then yanked on the ribbons and pulled them over her head, sending Sakura flying upward and headed for the crowd outside of the ring.

"W-wow! I didn't think Kodachi was that strong!" Ringo said in amazement.

Sakura realized that she had underestimated Kodachi's strength, but she remained unconcerned as she soared through the air. Seeing that the ribbons were still wrapped around Kodachi's forearms, Sakura yanked back on them and put herself on a downward path back toward the ring. Gracefully landing on the top ring rope, she then sprang off of it and went flying toward Kodachi. The attack was too quick for the Black Rose of St. Hebereke to counter as Sakura slammed one of her steel clubs directly into her opponent's forehead. The crowd roared in approval as Kodachi slammed back onto the mat and their beloved gymnast rolled to a stop.

"Kodachi!" Ringo immediately called out to her partner.

Sitting atop her throne, Kiriko applauded the vicious hit and now seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. "Ooh, ouch! Hahaha!"

"Start the count, ref!" Sakura ordered the official.

"Right!" the referee answered her. "One...!"

While Ringo was frantic over in the visitor's corner, Sakura went over to her own and got a high five from Ruby. The pink-haired gymnast then played to the crowd as the referee's count continued.

"...two, three, four...!"

Now starting to stir after the heavy blow, Kodachi flopped over onto her stomach and pushed herself up with her arms. Outside the ring, Ringo was horrified to see that drops of blood were now falling from Kodachi's forehead as she rose from the mat.

"...five, six, seven...!"

Wobbly but alert, Kodachi finally got to her feet at the count of seven. She was well enough to continue, but her current state was anything but encouraging. The club shot from Sakura had opened a cut above Kodachi's left eye that was dripping blood down her face and onto her leotard.

"Kodachi, that's enough! Stop this! You're bleeding!" Ringo pleaded with her.

The wounded gymnast shot her second a sharp look. "Surely you must be joking. I am going to win this match! Now toss me two clubs!"

Hesitant but respectful of her partner's decision, Ringo tossed Kodachi the clubs, and Sakura seemed oddly pleased that she had.

"Now that's new!" Sakura beamed. "Most girls I face would quit after a hit like that."

"Quit? Never!" Kodachi glared at her. "You will pay dearly for bloodying the face of a Kuno!"

Seeing that their arms were still bound by the ribbons, Sakura felt like doing an encore performance of her last attack. Hopping up onto the top rope, she sprung off of it and gunned for Kodachi's head again. This time, however, Kodachi had the sense to duck and avoid the attack. Noticing that Kodachi was about to stand up again, Sakura spun herself around and sprung off of the rope on the opposite side of the ring.

Kodachi didn't have time to think up a proper counter before she saw Sakura coming back at her. In a move of desperation, she threw one of her clubs up into the air and drop kicked it into the incoming girl's face. The crowd gasped as Sakura's body spun around in the air and crashed down to the mat.

"No!" Kiriko fumed, squeezing the drink in her hand in anger.

"Count!" Kodachi immediately told the referee.

"Hey, you can't attack with your body! Why isn't she disqualified?" Ruby yelled from the outside.

"She kicked the club! It's legal!" the referee told her, promptly starting her ten count. "One...!"

Kodachi couldn't believe that she'd landed the kick that solidly as she stumbled back to her corner.

"...two, three...!"

"Kodachi, that was amazing!" the red-haired second praised her partner.

"Of course it was," Kodachi replied, acting as though it were no big deal. "Now don't get back up, you brute..."

"...four, five, six, seven...!"

With the count at seven, Sakura suddenly did a kip up to a standing position, much to the chagrin of her opponent. After shaking off the cobwebs, she stared over at Kodachi with a wild look of satisfaction on her face.

"Now we're talking!" she smiled sadistically. "How 'bout we make things a little more fun?"

Sakura pointed to her corner, signaling her second to bring out a different arsenal of tools. Ruby tossed Sakura a pair of ribbons, and then, to the delight of the crowd, a pair of trash cans and a golf club.

"What kind of tools are those?" Ringo complained, worrying for Kodachi's safety.

Not wanting to give her opponent a chance to use her new tools, Kodachi hurried to the middle of the ring with her club in hand to initiate an attack, but Sakura beat her to the punch. Unraveling her ribbons, she sent them both at the Black Rose, who didn't realize until it was too late that these ribbons were different than usual. With a little extra weight added to them, Kodachi mistimed their arrival and didn't react quickly enough. The ribbons wrapped around her arms and chest, binding her completely and generating clanking sounds in the process.

"There are chains in these ribbons?" Kodachi shouted.

"Bingo!" Sakura smirked.

Her opponent now in the same position she was in earlier, Sakura grabbed one of the metal trash cans and slammed the side of it into the defenseless Kodachi's head.

The fans, including Kiriko, applauded the stiff blow and urged Sakura on.

"Hit her again!" Kiriko joyously laughed from her throne.

Kodachi fell to one knee and then stood back up again, stumbling around as she tried to shake off the impact. Seemingly enjoying herself, Sakura dumped the trash can over Kodachi's head and grabbed her golf club.

"Kodachi, look out!" Ringo yelled from outside the ring.

Unfortunately, Kodachi couldn't see what was coming with the trash can covering her entire upper body.

"Fore!" Sakura yelled, slamming the golf club into the trash can, severely denting it and sending her opponent to the mat in a daze. Absolutely loving this, her fans roared their approval. "Count, ref!"

"One...!" the referee began.

Sakura retracted her chain-laced ribbons from her fallen opponent and untied Kodachi's earlier used ones from her forearms as she strolled back to her corner.

"...two, three, four...!"

Her head spinning, Kodachi managed to throw the trash can off of herself as she tried to get back to her feet.

"...five, six, seven, eight...!"

At the count of eight, the weary Kuno successfully made it to her feet to stop the count.

"Kodachi! Are you okay?" Ringo called out to her.

Her partner didn't answer her. Being put in a trash can was a gesture so demeaning that it had her absolutely enraged. While Sakura was still playing to the crowd, Kodachi angrily grabbed the dented trash can and ran over to her.

"Metal, look out!" Ruby yelled.

Turning around as soon as her second warned her, Sakura was met with the side of her own trash can to her face, knocking her back into the ring ropes. Her opponent stunned and unable to fall due to the ropes, Kodachi slammed her with the trash can a second time, then a third, then a fourth.

"Put me in a trash can, will you?" the irate Kuno let loose on her.

Over and over again Kodachi wailed on Sakura, slamming her with the trash can several more times before tossing the mangled hunk of metal outside of the ring. The crowd reacted nervously with the resounding noise from each shot. They weren't happy to see Sakura being hit, but they were strangely intrigued by the violence shown by Kodachi.

"Come on, Sakura! What are you doing?" Kiriko yelled toward the ring with displeasure.

Still not finished, Kodachi grabbed the golf club that had been used just moments ago. The hometown gymnast looked out of it as she was propped up against the ropes, but as Kodachi took a swing at her with the golf club, Sakura rolled under the attack and grabbed the unused trash can that was in the ring in one swift motion. Kodachi spun around to take another swing, but ended up being smacked in the face by the trash can after Sakura threw it at her.

"Way to rebound, Metal! Now finish her!" Ruby shouted.

Kodachi managed to keep the golf club in her hand as she fell to a knee again, but depending on her opponent's next move, there may not have been any use for it.

"Time to go bye-bye!" Sakura grinned.

Taking her second's advice, Sakura grabbed the ends of the ribbons that were still tied to Kodachi's forearms and used her strength to heave her opponent way over the ring's ropes, throwing her out toward the crowd.

"No!" Ringo yelled.

"Yes!" Kiriko jumped up from her throne, elated at the thought of Kodachi being eliminated.

Sakura turned around and raised her hands in victory to her fans as the Black Rose soared through the air.

Kodachi was in trouble, and she knew it. She couldn't touch anything outside the ring or she would lose. Ironically, her only hope lied in the very ribbons that Sakura had tossed her out of the ring with.

"_I must find something to wrap these around!_" she thought frantically.

Looking for something to latch onto, Kodachi soon noticed a crane which had been used for school construction recently extending high above the crowd. Hurrying to throw the other end of one of her ribbons around part of the crane, she felt extremely relieved as she managed to hook onto it. Once her movement away from the ring had stopped, Kodachi then used the momentum of her swing to launch herself back toward the ring, quickly unhooking the ribbon from the crane as she took off. Still with the golf club in hand, she could see that landing inside the ring was a long shot, but she felt much better about her chances of making it to the top rope.

"Woohoo! Yeah!" Sakura continued to pose for the crowd. She was starting to notice that something was amiss though, and soon glanced over at the referee. "Hey, why hasn't the bell rung yet?"

"Because the match isn't over," the referee told her.

The crowd watched in awe as Kodachi gripped the golf club with both hands and managed to spring off of the top rope as she landed from high above.

"Metal, behind you!" Ruby tried to warn her partner.

Unsure what was going on, Sakura curiously turned around and was immediately blasted in the forehead by Kodachi's golf club. Sakura's body did a complete 360 degree turn in the air from the incredible impact and then fell flat against the ring mat as Kodachi rolled into the ropes on the other side of the ring and came to a stop.

"_Oh my god! Sakura!_" one of her fans cried.

"_Oh man! That was one crazy hit!_" another added.

At the back of the crowd, Kiriko slumped back down into her throne in stunned silence after her rival may have just snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Still trying to regain her composure after her own attack, Kodachi at least had enough sense to get the referee to do her job. "Count!"

"One...!" the official began.

"Kodachi! I can't believe you just did that!" Ringo said excitedly. "That has to be it!"

"...two, three, four...!"

Sakura didn't budge as Kodachi pulled herself up to her feet using the ring ropes and wobbled over to her corner.

"...five, six, seven, eight...!"

"I...I've won..." Kodachi's voice shook.

"...nine, t-!"

Then, to the disbelief of both Kodachi and Ringo, Sakura did a kip up to her feet once again just before the count of ten, drawing an enormous roar from her relieved fans. The pink-haired gymnast was breathing heavily after taking the huge hit, but she was standing.

Her body shaking, Sakura slowly turned toward Kodachi's corner of the ring, and her appearance nearly gave Ringo a heart attack. The golf club had opened up a large gash on Sakura's forehead that was already covering the right side of her face and her leotard with blood. Perhaps more disturbing than that, though, was the wickedly pleased look on her face that breached the limits of sanity.

"That..." she started to say, "...that...was exactly what I'd expect from Cat Five's protege!"

The surprised expression on Kodachi's face showed that the mention of "Cat Five" clearly registered with her.

"What? Cat...Five?" Ringo blinked, looking up at her partner in confusion.

Sakura wasn't going to hold back any longer. Feeling fired up more than ever, she pointed over to her second once more.

"RUBY! Gimme the special stuff!"

As commanded, Sakura's second began pulling objects out from underneath the ring. She first placed in the corner of the ring a cotton bag sealed by its drawstring, the contents of which were a mystery to her opponent. There was no mystery to the next "tool" though, as Ruby slid Sakura a 10-foot fiberglass ladder.

Kiriko had seen those tools before. While she didn't enjoy being in the ring at the same time as them, nothing made her happier than the thought of Kodachi having to deal with them. "Good! Do something useful for once and make her squeal, Sakura!"

"A ladder? How is that legal?" Ringo protested from Kodachi's corner.

Somehow the ladder wasn't as much of a concern for the red-haired girl once she saw the next item to enter the ring. The fans gave their classmate a rousing ovation as Ruby pulled out a large wooden board that was completely covered in loops of barbed wire on one side.

"Barbed wire?" Kodachi shrieked. "This has gone too far! Referee, admonish her this instant!"

"It's legal, Miss Kuno," the official told her.

"What?" Kodachi glared at her.

After her second slid it into the ring, the bloodied gymnast moved the bed of barbed wire out of the way for the time being and picked up the folded ladder.

"Oh yeah! Now it's time for some real fun!" Sakura licked her lips.

Kodachi had to quickly dive out of the corner as the crazed Sakura charged at her with ladder in hand and rammed it into the ring post.

"Kodachi!" Ringo called out to get her partner's attention.

Glancing over to her corner, the Black Rose saw that Ringo had rolled a ball over to her. As Sakura charged at her with the ladder again, Kodachi grabbed the ball and tossed it at her opponent's feet. Unable to avoid the round object, Sakura ended up stepping on it and lost her balance.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she fell over.

Heavy Metal hit the ring mat hard, and the folded ladder fell right on top of her. Not one to waste such an opportunity, Kodachi leaped up into the air and stomped down on the ladder.

"Augh!" Sakura cried out, the ladder smashing into her ribcage.

"I will teach you to bring these barbaric things into a match against the Black Rose of St. Hebereke!" Kodachi taunted her.

Again and again, Kodachi Kuno jumped up and stomped the ladder down into Joudai High's heroine, leaving Sakura clutching at her ribs.

"_Holy crap! This chick's got a mean streak!_" one of the fans marveled at Kodachi's brutality.

The Black Rose was out of her element, but she was feeling a strange sense of euphoria from inflicting so much pain on her opponent. Looking around the ring for another weapon, Kodachi picked up one of her ribbons from earlier and turned her attention to the sealed bag that Ruby had placed in the corner.

Noticing the dark-haired gymnast's intentions, Ruby tried to take the bag out of the ring, but she wasn't quick enough as Kodachi whipped her ribbon over into the corner and snagged it.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Kodachi smirked, shaking the bag a few times. The jingling noise from within piqued her curiosity.

Eager to see what was inside, Kodachi undid the bag's drawstring and dumped its contents out onto the ring mat. The crowd, as well as Kodachi and Ringo, were in awe as thousands of thumbtacks spilled out into the ring.

"K-Kodachi...those are thumbtacks..." Ringo's voice shook.

"Thumbtacks..." the Kuno girl tried to hide her smile. "My goodness, you truly are sadisti-"

"Kodachi, look out!" Ringo yelled at her.

Kodachi's attention was so drawn to the thumbtacks that she took her eyes off of Sakura for too long. On her feet again, Sakura slammed Kodachi in the face with the tip of her ladder, knocking her straight back to the ring mat and right on top of the mess of thumbtacks.

The audience erupted in cheers and Kodachi let out a horrific scream as the thumbtacks pierced through her leotard and into her skin.

"Kodachi!" Ringo cried out to her partner.

"Ahahahahaah!" Kiriko laughed from her throne. "Yes! Now put her away!"

The Black Rose slowly sat up, her entire body trembling from the immense pain. There were tacks stuck in her back, her arms, her hands, even her fingers. Spots of blood could be seen soaking through her leotard where she had been pierced.

Behind her, Sakura was on all fours and smiling like a wild animal that had her prey cornered. The crowd chanting her name in the background, she turned her blood-stained face toward the referee.

"Count! Count, count, count!"

Even the referee was having a tough time looking at the mess Kodachi had become, but she started her merciful ten count as was her job.

"One...!"

While Sakura laughed maniacally and stumbled back to her corner, Ringo was absolutely hysterical outside the ring.

"...two, three, four...!"

"Please, just stay down, Kodachi! This is too much!" Ringo cried out again, almost feeling ill at the hellish sight in the ring. She may have had her differences with the pushy Kuno girl as of late, but she didn't want to see her like this at all.

Kodachi didn't listen to her second as she pushed herself to her knees, struggling to put the pain out of her mind and stand up.

"...five, six, seven, eight...!"

"Kodachi, stay down!" Ringo yelled, pounding the mat with her palms.

"...nine...!"

Then, to the shock of everyone, Kodachi actually made it to her feet. Her body a bloody, shaking mess, she sluggishly wobbled over to her corner.

"God, this is enough! I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, Kodachi!" her second gave her an extremely concerned look.

Not liking what Ringo was saying, Kodachi grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her closer. "I...will...win! Kiriko must pay! Do you hear me?"

Ringo nervously nodded her head, feeling somewhat frightened by her partner's ironclad determination.

"Good!" Kodachi cringed, feeling the sharp pieces of metal sticking into her body. "Now...give me..."

Over in the opposite corner, Sakura grabbed a pair of clubs from Ruby and wore a look of pleased surprise on her face as she stared across the ring.

"You're full of tacks and you still wanna fight, huh?" she grinned. "I love it! Let's go!"

Sakura charged at her weakened opponent, ready to batter her with the steel clubs again, but Kodachi still had some surprises for her. The Black Rose suddenly spun around and kicked a ball in her direction. Sakura reached back and smashed the ball with one of her clubs, intending to knock it aside and plow on forward, but the ball exploded into a cloud of baby powder that covered the upper half of her body and got into her eyes.

"What the-?" Sakura staggered back, blinded by the powder.

Ready to capitalize on the opportunity, Kodachi pushed herself out of the corner and launched her counterattack.

"Now you will feel...the Attack of a Thousand Clubs!"

With her hands full of a dozen miniature clubs apiece, Kodachi rapidly crushed them into her blinded opponent's body.

"Metal!" Ruby shouted with concern.

Taking heavy blows to her face and chest, Sakura was knocked back again and again until finally she was at the foot of the barbed wire bed that was brought into the ring earlier.

Still wracked with pain, Kodachi grit her teeth as she put all she had into one last blow. "Be torn apart by your own barbaric tool!"

Kodachi swung her clubs at Sakura's powder-covered face, but shockingly, the dazed gymnast spun and avoided it. The Black Rose, already wobbly and starting to feel her exhaustion building, stumbled forward to the foot of the barbed wire contraption after missing. What she didn't realize was that Sakura's spinning motion had continued, and her club was now coming back around.

"Kodachi, look out!" Ringo screamed.

The dark-haired girl could only watch as Sakura's club crashed into the side of her head, easily knocking her down into the loops of barbed wire. With sharpened barbs piercing her already wounded back, Kodachi let out a cry of agony and the fans erupted into a fervor once more.

"NOOO!" Ringo cried, holding her hands over her mouth in horror of what she was seeing.

At the back of the crowd, Kiriko Nakajima jumped up and down with joy. "Ohhh, how much does it hurt, Kodachi? How much does it hurt?"

Sakura cackled like a mad woman as she rubbed the powder out of her eyes. She could barely see when Kodachi came at her the last time, but her opponent's slowed movements gave her enough time to avoid the attack and turn it to her own advantage.

"Ahahahahahaaah!" Joudai High's gymnast laughed, practically drooling as she stared down at her fallen victim. "Come on, Kodachi! Get up again! COME ON!"

Screaming in pain, Kodachi managed to roll off of the barbed wire bed, her skin and leotard being torn apart by the hideous weapon of destruction. Once she was finally free, her body looked as though it had been through a human demolition derby.

"Kodachi, no more! Just stay down! Please!" Ringo cried, tears streaming down her face.

She didn't want to stay down, but Kodachi was in so much pain that she couldn't even think straight. And unfortunately for her, Sakura's sadistic side had completely taken over. An evil smile crossing her face again, the pink-haired girl walked over and picked up the bed of barbed wire.

"We're not finished yet!" she grinned.

"No! Stop!" Ringo pleaded, but it was all in vain.

Sakura dumped the barbed wire bed directly onto the front of Kodachi's body, drawing another scream from the Kuno girl as the barbs pierced her chest and abdomen.

The bloodthirsty crowd loved it, chanting Sakura's name with rapture. Not yet satisfied, Sakura stomped on the back of the wooden board several times, driving the barbed wire deeper down into Kodachi's skin just as her fallen opponent had done to her with the ladder earlier.

"Are we ready to give up yet?" Sakura screamed at her, seemingly changing her mind afterward as she started to shake her head. "No, no, no. No...you can't give up. I won't let the ref count you down yet either. I'm gonna put you away with my best shot!"

Sakura's fans watched intently as she unfolded the ladder introduced earlier and set it up in one corner of the ring. Weakened and battered, Kodachi had one arm that wasn't pinned down by the barbed wire bed, but she simply didn't have the strength to push it off as her opponent scaled the rungs of the ladder. The damage inflicted upon her and her lack of proper conditioning had taken their toll.

"Kodachi, do something!" Ringo cried out. She frantically rummaged through her bag of tools to try to find something her partner could use, tossing clubs and other objects into the ring left and right.

With the tools Ringo was throwing landing on top of and all around her, a single strand of rope landed in the open palm of Kodachi's free hand. An idea starting to light up in her mind, the bloodied Black Rose looked down at the rope, and then over at the base of the ladder.

"_This...maybe I can..._"

Sakura made it to the top of the ladder and raised her arms into the air, trying to pump the crowd up as she appeared ready to dive down and smash her fallen opponent into defeat. Not yet willing to give in, Kodachi quickly flung the short piece of rope and wrapped it around one of the legs of the ladder. Then, using all of the strength that she had left in her aching body, Kodachi yanked on it with all her might, drawing energy from the mental image of the person she despised more than any other in this world.

"KIRIKO~!" the Black Rose screamed at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly, the leg of the ladder lifted up off the mat. With the weight of the human body on top of it, the ladder quickly became unstable and tipped over, dumping Sakura off of it.

"Wha-? NO!" the pink-haired girl cried out.

The Joudai high fans went silent with shock as Sakura crashed down through the wooden table outside the ring that the announcer was sitting at, splitting the piece of furniture in half from the impact. At the back of the crowd, Kiriko let her drink slip from her hand and fall to the ground, not believing what she was seeing.

Looking down from the ring, the referee surveyed the situation outside and came to a conclusion.

"Ring out! Ring the bell!"

With the sound of the bell signaling the end of the match, the announcer grabbed her microphone to announce the official result.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you winner via ring out, and moving on to the semifinals of the Queen of Extreme Tournament, Kodachi 'The Black Rose' Kuno!"

The fans couldn't believe what had just happened. With another victory apparently in the palm of her hand, their heroine had somehow lost.

"_Nooo! Sakura!_"

"_How could she have lost? How?_"

"She...she did it..." Ringo mouthed in amazement. "Oh, Kodachi!"

The red-haired girl quickly climbed into the ring and pulled the barbed wire bed off of her bloodied partner. "Kodachi, are you okay?"

Though she'd won, Kodachi Kuno looked nothing like a winner. Her leotard was torn and stained with blood, as was much of the skin on her back, chest, and arms. Her forehead was also still bleeding from the cut she'd gotten earlier. The Black Rose of St. Hebereke felt as though she'd just gone through hell and back.

Still trembling from the pain running through her body, Kodachi wearily sat up and looked at her second. "Ringo...did I...did I win?"

Torn up by the sight of her ailing partner, Ringo wrapped her arms around Kodachi to try to ease some of her pain.

"You did. You did win, Kodachi..."

After being knocked silly for about a minute, Sakura was finally starting to stir outside the ring. Clearly upset, she kicked the pieces of the table away from her while she tried to get her bearings straight again. Shoving away some of the people checking if she was okay, the pink-haired gymnast angrily crawled her way back into the ring. The fans watched closely as Sakura pulled herself up with the help of the ropes before staring down at the girl who'd defeated her.

"Ruby! Ball!" she shouted at her second.

Though the match was over, Ruby didn't question her partner's order, tossing her a ball as was asked of her. Much like Sakura's other tools, the ball was made of metal and was capable of doing some serious damage to anyone it hit.

"Ringo..." Kodachi's voice shook, "...help me stand."

Ringo did as she was asked, helping the Black Rose of St. Hebereke get back to her feet. Kodachi needed to put her arm around her second's shoulder and lean up against her just to stay upright.

At the back of the crowd, Kiriko, who'd been quietly seething since the end of the match, angrily grabbed her megaphone and voiced her displeasure from her throne.

"Sakura, you worthless hyena!" the brown-haired diva vented into the megaphone. "You had her beat! You could have just let the referee count her down, but NO! You had to be a showoff and try another move! I hope you're happy!"

Her eye twitching with annoyance, Sakura turned and heaved the metal ball straight in the direction of Kiriko.

"Wahh!" Kiriko shrieked, scurrying to avoid it.

While Kiriko managed to avoid the ball by ducking, it ended up smashing into the back of her throne, splitting the top half of it off and the umbrella along with it.

"You...!" the brown-haired girl clenched her teeth, glaring back at the ring.

After taking care of Kiriko's loud mouth, Sakura wasted no time strolling over to Kodachi and stood right in front of her face. The disappointed fans started to make some noise again, chanting for their school's representative as she and Kodachi looked into each other's eyes, both of their bodies covered in blood from the war they'd just gone through. Sakura then grabbed Kodachi's wrist, drawing some concern from her red-haired second.

"Please, she's hurt!" Ringo pleaded with the other gymnast.

As it turned out, however, inflicting more damage wasn't what Sakura had in mind. A satisfied smile crossing the wild girl's face, she clasped Kodachi's hand with her free one and shook it.

"I'm a woman of my word," Sakura nodded. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time, Kodachi."

To the surprise of Ringo and Kodachi, the crowd actually applauded the handshake, showing respect for the gymnast being acknowledged by Sakura. Still with something to say, Sakura leaned in close to Kodachi's ear and whispered a message to her.

"I'm pretty pissed off that I lost, but I'm gonna be even more pissed off if you don't win this tournament," she told her. "You beat me, so you're obligated now, got it?"

Kodachi didn't get the chance to respond as Sakura slipped under the ropes and out of the ring. While she headed to the infirmary along with Ruby to get her injuries taken care of, Kodachi stared out into the audience at Kiriko.

The girl atop the throne looked back into the ring with disgust.

"Kodachi," she spoke into her megaphone, "I don't know how you did it, but I'm going to make you regret that you ever came back! You hear me? You'll regret it!"

Undeterred by the threat, Kodachi pointed her trembling finger at her nemesis and managed a smile through her blood-stained face.

"No, Kiriko. _I_ will make _you_ regret that I ever came back!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 8**


	34. QoE: I Can Beat You

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"Y'know, it was nice gettin' away and all, but it feels kinda good to be home again."

"Shampoo think so, too."

In the late afternoon hours of a mostly cloudy day, Ranma Saotome and Shampoo returned to the Nerima Ward of Tokyo for the first time in over a week. Their sudden training trip was plagued by more problems than either of them would have liked, but things had worked out for them in the end. With Genma now out of their hair and on his way back to dealing with Nodoka pressuring him to get a job, the two teenage martial artists were on their own again and ready to get the restaurant back up and running.

"There Cat Café is," Shampoo pointed to the restaurant as it came into view.

"Nice to see it's still in one piece," Ranma joked. Though most of the building-destroying elements of the recent past, otherwise known as Ranma's rivals, weren't in the area at the moment, coming back to an intact home still never quite felt like a guarantee. "I sure hope Ringo's still in one piece, too. Who knows what Kodachi's had her doin'."

"Ringo no like fight, but she still tough girl. Shampoo sure she fine," the Amazon girl smiled.

"Yeah, guess you're right," Ranma scratched his head. "I worry 'bout her too much."

"That what brother do, yes?" Shampoo giggled.

"Brother, huh?" the pigtailed boy thought aloud. "Man, that feels weird to say."

Once they reached the door of the restaurant, Shampoo grabbed her key from her backpack and unlocked it, sliding the door open to reveal the darkened and unoccupied dining area.

"We home!" she announced, happily trotting inside.

"Back to work I guess," Ranma grumbled. "H-...huh?"

Upon stepping inside the Cat Café restaurant, the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts suddenly found himself enveloped in a strange fog that seemed to appear from out of nowhere.

"Hey, Shampoo! What the heck's with this fog?" he called out to his girlfriend. "Shampoo?"

There was no reply from her. The fog was so thick that Ranma could barely see his own hands, much less anything else around him.

"What's goin' on here?"

Then, just as fast as it had shown up, the fog around him oddly began to dissipate. What Ranma would find waiting for him wasn't the inside of the Cat Café, though. Looking down at his feet, he could see that he was now standing on a cement bridge that was about ten feet wide. Whether he looked behind or ahead of himself, he could still see nothing beyond the bridge as the fog remained too thick.

"Whoa...where is this?" he wondered aloud. "Hey! Anyone here?"

Not entirely sure what to do, Ranma cautiously began walking forward in hope of finding some answers. He kept an eye out for anything of note as he strolled along the structure, hopeful that he might at least spot a change in scenery. Minutes passed without any such sighting, however, and he didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The scenery looked exactly the same and the only sound he could hear was that of himself.

"This is some weird stuff," he noted. "Did I fall asleep or somethin'? Feels more like a dream..."

Looking ahead, Ranma finally noticed something different in front of him. It was faint and tough to see clearly through the fog, but it looked like there was someone standing on the edge of the bridge.

"Hey, maybe I ain't alone here," the pigtailed boy blinked. "Yo! That you, Shampoo?"

As Ranma got closer, it became clear that it actually wasn't Shampoo he saw. Rather, it was a short-haired girl in a white sundress.

"Uhh...hello?" he tried to talk to her.

With Ranma nearing the spot where she stood, the girl slowly turned her head and looked over at him. Her familiar face nearly made Ranma fall over.

"A-Akane?" he lit up with surprise.

Akane didn't say a word, continuing to stare at him with a sad look in her eyes.

"Wh-...what're you doin' here? Where've you been?" Ranma asked, inching closer to her. "Don'tcha know everyone's been worried sick about ya?"

Not giving him an answer, Akane turned away and looked back out over the bridge.

Ranma didn't understand what was going on here at all, and he certainly didn't understand what Akane was up to. "Akane? Hey..."

The youngest of the Tendo daughters closed her eyes, ignoring her former fiancé. Then, to Ranma's horror, she suddenly leaned forward and began falling over the edge of the bridge.

"Akane!"

Ranma ran over to the edge to try to grab hold of her, but it was simply too great a distance for him to cover. He could only watch as his hand grabbed nothing but air and Akane fell from the bridge, disappearing into the foggy abyss below.

"Ranma? Ranma!"

Hearing his name being called, Ranma was shocked to find himself standing in the entrance to the Cat Café again. Shampoo was waving her hand in front of his eyes, seemingly trying to get his attention.

"Ranma? You is okay?" she asked him.

The pigtailed boy quickly looked around the dining area to confirm where he was before turning his attention back at her. "That's you, ain't it, Shampoo?"

Shampoo gave him a funny look. "Of course is Shampoo. What you talking?"

"Did you...see that?" Ranma asked her.

"What see?" Shampoo blinked, looking back at the floor behind her. "There is mouse run around?"

He didn't know how or why he'd seen it, but it was becoming apparent to Ranma that everything he'd seen with Akane wasn't real.

"N-no...nevermind. I'm just seein' things. It was a long walk back here," he brushed the incident off.

Shampoo looked at him again with worry, placing a hand on his cheek. "Ranma sure you is okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he smiled. "We oughtta get our stuff unpacked."

Convinced for now that Ranma was okay, the lavender-haired girl nodded her head in agreement. "Shampoo go do that then. We need clean up dust here before open tomorrow, too."

While Shampoo headed back to their living quarters to start unpacking, Ranma shut the restaurant door and took a seat at one of the tables. What he'd seen may have been an illusion, but he couldn't help wondering if it meant something.

"_What was that all about?_" he thought to himself. "_It's probably nothin', but...is Akane in some kinda trouble?_"

*_slide_*

Hearing the sound of the restaurant door sliding open again, Ranma figured it must have been a customer checking if they were open.

"Sorry, we're closed toda-...oh, Ucchan!"

"Ran-chan! I thought I saw you guys walking in here," Ukyou beamed, shutting the door behind her. "You just get back?"

"Yeah, just now," he told her. "How's things been goin'?"

Ukyou took a seat next to him. "Oh, you know, business as usual. Ringo and Kodachi really made some noise though."

"Really? I was wonderin' about that. How'd they do?" her childhood friend asked.

"Well, Kodachi won her match the day you left...sort of," Ukyou muttered, recalling the underhanded tactics the Black Rose used to win her match against Mizuki. "But yesterday was the big news. I don't know how they did it, but those two pulled off a win over one of the best girls in the tournament."

"Wow, no kiddin'?" Ranma laughed. "I guess Ringo and Kodachi figured out how to work together after all. I didn't think it was possible."

"They had a little fight after the first match, but it looks like they're on the same page for now," Ukyou told him. "Kodachi got pretty messed up yesterday, though. Soon as classes were out today, Ringo took off for the Kunos' place to check on...her..."

Seeing that his friend appeared to be distracted by something behind him, Ranma looked over his shoulder and noticed Shampoo walking back into the dining area.

"Oh, is Ukyou here. Shampoo wonder who you talking to," the Amazon girl said.

"Yeah, she saw us comin' in here," Ranma explained.

While Shampoo headed into the kitchen, Ukyou continued to give her a sharp look from her seat. Ranma looked back and forth between them a couple times, curious what was going on.

"Uh...Ucchan?"

"Hmm?" Ukyou finally looked back at him.

"You okay?" Ranma asked her.

"Y-yeah! It's nothing, Sugar!" the okonomiyaki chef replied with a nervous laugh. "So, how was your trip?"

"Oh man, you wouldn't believe how bad it went," Ranma chuckled. "It went okay at first, but then we got in a little fight over somethin'. And then to make it worse, Pop showed up, and then..."

*_tap...tap...tap..._*

Ukyou was glaring into the kitchen again, tapping her finger loudly on the table while doing so.

"Ucchan? You sure everything's fine?" Ranma raised an eyebrow at her.

Shampoo exited the kitchen and appeared to be heading back toward she and Ranma's living quarters again, and the girl with the large spatula on her back was watching her every step of the way.

"No...it's not fine..." Ukyou growled.

Her expression showing the frustration she'd been feeling the past few days, Ukyou Kuonji jumped up from her chair and slammed her palms down on the table.

"Y'know something, Shampoo...I can beat you!"

Ranma stared wide-eyed at his childhood friend, as did Shampoo, who stopped to look back at her.

Ukyou clenched her hands into fists, not taking her eyes off of the lavender-haired girl. The after-school chat with Ringo last week had been eating away at her ever since and she was determined to do something about it.

"I know I can beat you, and you know it, too! That's why...I'm challenging you to a battle right now," she declared. "You and me, Shampoo. Give me an answer."

Months earlier, Shampoo had felt a bit surprised that Ukyou never challenged her right after Ranma made the choice to begin their current relationship. But given that so much time had passed since then, she may have been even more surprised by this sudden challenge.

Things had changed over the last few months, though. In particular, Shampoo's feelings toward certain matters had changed.

After some consideration, Shampoo looked Ukyou straight in the eye and gave her response.

"Shampoo answer...is no."

Ukyou nearly tripped over her chair after hearing the reply. She was stunned. Never in a million years would she have expected Shampoo to turn down her challenge.

"No? NO?" the okonomiyaki chef shouted. "Are you kidding? Why not? Tell me!"

Not torn in the least about her answer, Shampoo turned around and continued walking to the back of the restaurant. "Shampoo say no. That why not."

The Amazon girl disappeared from sight and left her scorned challenger alone with a puzzled Ranma.

"Wow, that was kinda out of the blue there, Ucchan," he glanced up at her. "Where'd that come from?"

Ukyou was no longer in any mood to talk. Seething with anger, she slammed her fist down into the table and let out a frustrated growl.

"She's looking down on me. If she thinks I'll give up that easy, she's got another thing coming!"

Ranma watched uncomfortably as his friend stormed out of the restaurant, slamming the door closed on her way out.

"Man, we ain't even been back five minutes and this happens?" he groaned.

With Ukyou now gone, Ranma stood up and headed to the back of the restaurant where he found Shampoo putting away some of the clothes she'd brought on their trip.

"Yo," he said, leaning up against the door frame. "You kinda surprised me there. Don't think I've ever heard ya turn down a challenge before."

Shampoo set down one of her shirts and looked back at him. "Ranma think Shampoo is coward?"

"I'd have to be a moron to think that," he assured her. "I'm sure you got a good reason for sayin' no."

Though she didn't want to get into details, she confirmed for the man she loved that he wasn't wrong.

"Is good enough reason for Shampoo."

Satisfied with the answer, Ranma shrugged his shoulders and gave her an approving look.

"That's all that matters then."

* * *

"Ouch..."

"We're almost there, Kodachi..."

Inside the Kuno estate, Kodachi had one arm draped over Ringo's shoulder as her second helped her back to her bed.

One day removed from a brutal quarter-final match against Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki, the younger Kuno sibling was now feeling the intense aftereffects of her efforts. The damage wrought by Sakura's thumbtacks, barbed wire, and other heinous tools, as well as the exhaustion brought on by Kodachi pushing her ill-conditioned body past its limits, had left the Black Rose of St. Hebereke nearly incapable of moving about on her own for now.

Though Kodachi's violet nightshirt that she was currently wearing, mostly for the ease of putting it on, stretched down past her knees and covered up most of the damage, its short sleeves couldn't hide all of the bandages wrapped around her arms. Practically her entire upper body, as well as the wound on her forehead, had to be bandaged after her match. She'd undoubtedly paid a price for not quitting as Ringo had pleaded with her to do multiple times during the match.

But even as the pain echoed throughout her body with every step she took, Kodachi Kuno had no regrets. She'd defeated Sakura in the end and earned the prize she'd entered the Queen of Extreme Tournament to attain. She'd earned a semi-final match and a chance for retribution against her nemesis, the tournament's 2nd Seed, Kiriko Nakajima.

"Okay, here we go..." Ringo gently helped her partner down onto her mattress.

"This is irritating! I should be in my dungeon preparing for the next match, not incapacitated and bedridden!" Kodachi fumed as she laid down. "How dare that brute turn a beautiful flower such as I into a human pincushion? I shall never forgive her!"

"I know you want to train, but you'll be a mess for the next match if you don't let your body heal first," the red-haired girl warned her. "Besides, we have two weeks before you face Kiriko, right?"

"Which is now 13 days, and every minute of it is precious!" the Black Rose snapped. "I must have the utmost preparation if I am to destroy that harpy!"

Feeling somewhat guilty for the gymnast's current predicament, Ringo took a seat next to her on the bed and hung her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, Kodachi. If I were a better second, maybe you could have beat Sakura without getting hurt so much," she apologized.

Hesitant to respond, Kodachi's eyes shied away from her second. Normally she wouldn't hesitate to blame her troubles on someone else. Yesterday, however, the problems Kodachi encountered were either a result of her own mistakes and lack of conditioning or Sakura's barbaric yet effective offense, and she knew it.

"Do not be a fool. You performed just as you needed to, and you did so with mere days of preparation. A gymnast could not ask for more from her second," the bedridden Kuno girl told her, embarrassed that she'd even admitted such a thing.

"Really?" Ringo raised her head.

"Yes. But..." Kodachi turned to her again, a serious expression on her face, "...do not ever ask me to quit again. To quit is a shameful act not befitting a Kuno. I may have to endure horrific pain, but there are things in this world that are worth that agony."

Ringo Saotome hadn't gotten along with Kodachi much since she'd met her, but her feelings toward the once mischievous gymnast had undoubtedly changed over the past couple of weeks. The passion she'd shown in their dungeon training sessions was contagious. The determination she'd shown in her vicious match against Sakura was inspiring. And the pride she'd just shown in talking about her refusal to quit was admirable. Though she was once a person that Ringo wanted to avoid more than any other, the young waitress was actually beginning to respect her.

"I get it. I won't ever ask you to quit again," the girl with the ponytail smiled. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Hungry? Well...a bit, I suppose," Kodachi admitted.

Ringo hopped off the bed and to her feet. "How about I go make a snack then? It won't take long."

"You are capable of cooking?"

"Of course! I'm not as good as Kasumi, but she taught me how to make lots of things."

"I see. Very well, then."

"Okay! I won't take too long, I promise."

The cheerful Ringo took her leave to go fix some food, and Kodachi was now alone in her room. With a light sigh, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke looked up at her ceiling and gently closed her eyes.

"Perhaps...she is not so contemptible after all."

Elsewhere in the Kuno estate, Ringo was strolling through the halls toward the kitchen area, which Kodachi had luckily shown her the location of one night after their training session.

"Hmm...I wonder what I should make," she said to herself. "I'm not even sure what kind of ingredients they have here. Well, I'm sure I'll think of somethi-"

Ringo suddenly let out a loud gasp as she felt a familiar chill run through her body. The cold feeling was intense, forcing her to crumble to her knees and wrap her arms around her shivering body.

"No! Not again!" she cried, curling up even tighter.

It was just like the chill she'd felt while working at the Cat Café a month earlier. There was something more to it this time, though. It gave Ringo a strange feeling of fright, despair, and grief all at once, wrapping her heart in darkness.

"NO! Please...no more..." the terrified girl whimpered.

"_Who...are you...?_"

Ringo's eyes shot open as she heard the distinct sound of a voice in her head. It would only utter that one phrase, though, as the chill left the redhead's body immediately after it was spoken.

Though her body was returning to normal, Ringo was badly shaken to the point that she was trembling with fear and uncertainty.

"Wh-who was that?" her voice shook. "What's happening to me...?"

* * *

Meanwhile, across the Sea of Japan, Ryouga and Meilin were running to the north across mainland China, both of them trying to capitalize on a rare opportunity after gaining some valuable information.

"Are you sure that she said she saw Jusenkyo?" Ryouga asked his partner as he ran, referring to an older woman they'd run across earlier.

"Just how many people do you think walk around wearing black cloaks while holding scythes? It has to be her!" Meilin barked back at him. "I just can't believe that old bird saw her and lived to tell about it."

The two prisoners of the Chinese military soon came upon a steep incline in the land and began scaling it.

"Are we close to that farming village yet?" Ryouga asked.

"I think so. If I understood that woman right, it should be right over this hill," Meilin told him. "If we're lucky, maybe some of the villagers will have seen her too."

Not slowing down for a moment, the two of them ran up to the top of the steep hill. There, waiting for them at the bottom of the hill on the other side, was the farming village the old woman had mentioned. But as they quickly realized, something was very, very wrong.

"No..." Ryouga's jaw dropped.

His white-haired partner shook her head at the nightmarish sight before her. "She's not hiding out anymore, is she?"

From where they stood, the unofficial commanders of the Special Operations Unit's Orange Team could see a scene of incredible destruction. The bodies of several men lay in the road and by buildings, some with grief-stricken women and children weeping over them. Most of the buildings either had giant slashes in them or had partially collapsed. There were even a couple structures that appeared to have been burned. The small farming village had suffered a significant attack.

Ryouga wasted no time running downhill toward the scene. "Come on, we've gotta help them!"

"If we can..." Meilin said, not sounding optimistic at all.

The two of them would endure the unpleasant task of checking on the conditions of the people sprawled out on the ground throughout the village. The further they went, the more victims they found. The number of bodies rose to 10, then 20, and then to over 30. Every one of them was male, and, unfortunately, not a single one had survived the attack.

Amid the cries of the men's families and the smell of death in the air, Ryouga was finding it difficult to cope with what he was seeing.

"I sent in the bad news," Meilin said, slipping their communicator back into her pack. "You okay, honey?"

Ryouga just shook his head, visibly upset. "They didn't do anything wrong, Meilin. They didn't deserve this."

"You're right. They didn't," she responded. "Life's never fair, though. Things like this happen to good people every day."

"How can you act so calm in a situation like this?" Ryouga snapped at her.

Meilin looked away from him, not exactly proud of her lack of sympathy for the villagers. "I can't help it, Ryouga. That's just...the way I am."

Ryouga gave her an apologetic look. "S-sorry. I just..."

"I know," his lover said, understanding where he was coming from. "If you want to help them, let's find out where Jusenkyo went and go after her."

"Yeah," Ryouga replied. "We need to make sure she doesn't do this to anyone else."

Scouring the area for a potential informant, the duo spotted what appeared to be a girl in a dirty sweatshirt sitting against the side of one of the buildings. With the sweatshirt's hood draped over her head and her face buried against her knees, the girl appeared to be shaking as she huddled up against a stack of wooden crates.

"Let's go find out if she saw anything," Meilin suggested.

The girl didn't look up once as the two military prisoners approached her.

"_Hey,_" Meilin spoke in Mandarin, "_...we're with the military. Where did the person who did this go?_"

Strangely, there was no response from the trembling girl.

"_Can you hear me? I asked you a question,_" Meilin gave her a stern look.

Sensing that the girl was frightened out of her mind, Ryouga knelt down next to her and tried to be of some comfort. "Hey, don't worry. It's all over now. We're here to help."

Ryouga reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, but this only startled the girl. She let out a terrified shriek and fell down to the ground, holding her hands out in front of herself for protection. The girl's face was now exposed, however, and her expression would slowly change as she and the directionally-challenged martial artist were able to see each other clearly.

"R-...Ryouga?" she gasped.

Meilin batted her eyes in confusion and glanced down at her partner, whose mouth hung open in disbelief.

Ryouga immediately thought there had to be some mistake, that he couldn't possibly be seeing who he thought he was seeing. But as he looked into the girl's eyes that he'd seen so many times before, his doubts vanished. She was the real thing.

"Akane..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 9**


	35. QoE: An Old Friend

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Inside a small farming village in mainland China, surrounded by the carnage wrought by the entity suspected to be the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo, the eyes of a frightened and shaken Akane Tendo began to tear up as she found herself staring up at an old acquaintance from Japan.

"No...no!" Akane cried as she scooted backward, away from her friend. "You have to go, Ryouga! You can't come near me!"

Ryouga, still shocked by the fact that his old love interest was here, stepped closer to her. "Akane...why are you-?"

"Stay away!" Akane screamed at him. Seemingly not wanting anything to do with the directionally-challenged martial artist, the youngest daughter of Soun Tendo hurried to her feet and took off running to the west.

Though she'd told him to stay away from her, Ryouga didn't for a moment consider heeding Akane's warning. He didn't know why she was in China or why she was running from him, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Akane, wait!"

"Hey, where are you going? We're on a mission here!" Meilin shouted to her partner.

"I can't just leave her, Meilin!" Ryouga yelled back to his girlfriend.

With an annoyed snort, the white-haired woman grudgingly took off after them. "That impulsive idiot..."

Due to the small size of the village and her original position being so close to its outer limits, it only took a minute for Akane to cross outside the village's perimeter and into the plains surrounding it. As she looked back over her shoulder, she could see that not only was Ryouga close behind, but he was gaining on her. "Please, just go away! Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because I'm your friend, Akane! Stop running from me!" Ryouga pleaded with her as he ran. "Whatever it is, I can help! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"No! You can't help with this!" Akane cried out. "Please, Ryouga! Go-!"

Panicked and distracted by her pursuer, the Furinkan High student accidentally tripped over her own foot and took a nosedive into the grass.

"Akane!" Ryouga ran up to check on her.

Luckily uninjured, the downed girl swung her arm at Ryouga to keep him away. "No! You have to get out of here!"

Again ignoring her pleas, the boy with the bandana grabbed one of Akane's wrists to keep her from hitting him. "Akane, stop! Calm down and talk to me!"

"No!" Akane screamed, taking a swing at her old friend with her free hand only to have it caught in the same manner. With both of her wrists now in Ryouga's grasp, she struggled to break free from him. "You don't get it, Ryouga! You can't be near me!"

"Then tell me why, Akane! Tell me what's going on!" Ryouga demanded.

Unable to contain her tears any longer, Akane planted her face against Ryouga's shoulder and began crying uncontrollably. She knew that she couldn't overpower him. Fighting any further was pointless. "Ry-...Ryouga...you can't do this! He'll come...he'll come after you, too!"

Though he'd always been nervous around Akane during his time in Japan, Ryouga felt unusually calm as the terrified girl wept into his shirt. Maybe it was because he'd grown more mature through his relationship with Meilin and his military experience, or maybe it was just that seeing Akane in such a fragile state brought out his more dependable side. Either way, he was glad he could provide her the comfort she definitely appeared to need right now. "Akane..."

"AHEM!"

Drawing the attention of her partner, Meilin, who was already aggravated from having to chase the two of them outside the village, had a scowl on her face that Ryouga had seen before. Things usually didn't go well when he saw that look. The former member of the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists wasn't enjoying watching another woman seeking comfort in her man.

"M-Meilin! Th-this is...well..." Ryouga let out a nervous laugh as his girlfriend began tapping her foot with annoyance, "...th-this is Akane! She's an old friend!"

"Uh huh. You two look VERY friendly," the white-haired woman growled. "She's the one Saotome told me about when we were at the Amazon village?"

"Y-yeah! Imagine that!" her partner grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

The twitching of Meilin's eye was a good indication that she found nothing about this amusing. "So tell me, Ryouga...why is it that she's here, in the middle of China, sitting in a village that just got sliced all to hell by a sorceress?"

"Because this is what always happens! He follows me everywhere!" Akane suddenly cried, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed Ryouga's shoulders and began shaking him. "You need to get out of here, Ryouga! You need to leave before he comes back!"

"Akane..." Ryouga looked at her in confusion, "...who are you talking about? Who's following you?"

"That guy I threw into the spring!" Akane told him in a panicked voice.

"A spring?" Meilin narrowed her eyes at the youngest Tendo daughter. "You don't mean..."

"No..." Ryouga looked at her with surprise. "Akane...were you at the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo?"

The nerve-wracked girl didn't look too clear on where exactly she had been. "Jusenkyo? I-I don't know, umm...there were just springs everywhere, and then all this steam started shooting out of them while I was running away..."

Surprisingly, Akane's description matched up perfectly with the cloud of mist that covered the Cursed Springs, all but confirming a crucial piece of information for the military prisoner duo.

"You were there..." Meilin eyed her closely. "Well now, maybe it is good Ryouga caught you. You've got some explaining to do, girl."

Eager to hear her story as well, Ryouga placed his hands on Akane's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "Akane, I know you're scared, but you've gotta tell us everything that happened. Can you do that?"

With not only Ryouga, but now this other woman also intent on keeping her here, Akane could see that she wasn't going to get away, even if it was for Ryouga's own good. Reluctantly, she nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, umm...I left home to just...get away from everything for a while. But while I was walking through the mountains, these guys in black cloaks just came out of nowhere and attacked me..."

"Black cloaks?" Meilin raised an eyebrow at her. "How many were there?"

"Six. There were six of them," Akane answered. "I tried to fight them all, but one got behind me and put this cloth against my face, and then I don't remember anything after that. When I woke up, my arms and legs were tied up and I was blindfolded."

The mention of the cloaked men definitely rang a bell with Meilin. "Six men wearing black cloaks. We found five of them at the Cursed Springs..."

"Akane, why did they come after you?" Ryouga asked her.

"I have no idea! I kept yelling at them to tell me what they wanted, but they didn't speak Japanese," Akane told him. "I don't know how many days I just sat there, but it felt like a lot. They'd feed me and everything, they just wouldn't let me go, though. And then that day came...when they took me to those springs. They cut me loose and took off my blindfold, and I was right in front of this spring with a huge rock next to it."

As Meilin and Ryouga both remembered, a huge rock was what they'd found the bodies of the five cloaked men laying near at the Cursed Springs.

"Then..." Akane continued, starting to look more uncomfortable, "...it looked like they were going to throw me into that spring, so I...I grabbed one of them that was standing behind me and threw him over my shoulder...right into it. After that, I just ran away as fast as I could while the steam was shooting out of the springs."

"So that's who we've been chasing," Ryouga began to understand.

While Akane's explanation made sense thus far, Meilin still wasn't relaxing around the girl. "The description of Jusenkyo we got fits with her story, I'll admit. But why kidnap her when any of them could have become the vessel for Jusenkyo's resurrection? These were hardcore cult members. None of them would have thought twice about jumping in that spring."

"Maybe they weren't sure it would work with anyone other than Akane, but it did," Ryouga suggested, looking back at his nervous friend again. "Akane, why didn't you go to someone for help?"

"I did, Ryouga!" she cried. "This is the third village I've been to, and every time that guy comes and does this to it! I just hide and hope he doesn't find me, but I can hear him killing people and it's...it's just terrible!"

The tale of other villages being attacked was news to the military prisoners.

"Wait...there were two other villages that this happened to? Why didn't they tell us?" Ryouga wondered.

"Either they don't think we need to know, or maybe they didn't know it was Jusenkyo that attacked them," Meilin pointed out. "Either way...if the military hears about this girl, things could get bad for her, Ryouga."

Ryouga shot his partner a curious look. "Why's that?"

"You know how bad they want to put an end to this Jusenkyo business," Meilin told him. "If what she's saying is true and they find out this guy in the black cloak is after her, they'll use her as bait to lure him out."

The white-haired rogue's partner clenched his teeth with worry. He didn't doubt that their superiors in the military would do that if they found out about Akane. "Yeah...you're right. Akane, we need to get you back to Japan."

"No! I can't go back!" Akane suddenly protested.

Ryouga was stunned that his old friend didn't want to return home. "What? Why not? You're not safe here!"

"And I won't be safe there either!" Akane said to him. "I want to go home more than anything, Ryouga, but if I go back to Japan and he follows me there, he might hurt Dad and Kasumi. I...I couldn't take it if something happened to them because of me. That's why...no matter what, I can't go back."

The young martial artist could see what his old love interest was getting at. If the cloaked man knew Akane had gone back to Japan, there wasn't anything stopping him from going there after her. This left Ryouga with a conundrum as to what to do with her.

"What should we do, Ryouga?" Meilin inquired about her partner's opinion.

"I don't know, but I can't just leave her alone, Meilin," Ryouga told her. "She's not safe on her own. And if she doesn't want to go back to Japan..."

His white-haired partner didn't look pleased with where Ryouga's thought process was headed. "So you want her to come with us?"

Slowly nodding his head, Ryouga acknowledged that his girlfriend's guess was right on the money. Meilin had a bad feeling about bringing Akane along with them, mostly due to the knowledge that her man had feelings for the girl from Japan in the not too distant past. The last thing she wanted was a potential rival for Ryouga's affection. And not only that, but she also wasn't convinced yet that Akane was merely a victim in this whole Jusenkyo case. While her story may well be true, there was no way of confirming it as of yet. But on the other hand, Meilin also knew that if they left Akane to fend for herself or left her in the hands of the military, Ryouga would be constantly distracted as he would never be able to stop worrying about her. There was really no better solution than to bring her with them. But as it related to their current mission, Meilin thought, Akane's presence might actually be a blessing.

"Wait, I can't go with you! If I do, he'll come after you, too!" Akane fretted.

"That's exactly what we want," Meilin looked down at her. "Ryouga and I have orders to seek out the resurrected Jusenkyo. If that man you dumped into the spring is really following you, that's perfect. You'll lead him right to us, we'll take him out, and then you can go back to Japan where you belong."

"Are you crazy? How can you want to fight that thing after he killed all those people? It's too dangerous!" Akane tried to warn her.

"No, she's right, Akane," Ryouga calmly explained. "We're going to run into him eventually, and we want to stop him as soon as possible."

"But, Ryouga-!"

"Please, Akane," the boy with the bandana pleaded with her. "We need to stop him before anyone else gets hurt. I know he's strong, but Meilin and I can beat him! So please, I'm asking you, just come with us and let us handle him."

"But what if you die, Ryouga?"

"I won't."

Akane looked very torn about what to do as she stared back at her friend. "Promise me...promise me you won't get hurt! Promise me you can beat him!"

There was no hesitation in Ryouga's mind as he answered her with confidence. "I promise, Akane. We'll end this so you can go home."

A glimmer of hope showing in her expression, the youngest Tendo daughter reached up and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Okay, Ryouga. I'll go with you," she finally agreed.

"Thank you, Akane," Ryouga gave her a smile.

"Good, that's settled then," Meilin said, kneeling down next to her boyfriend. "But just so you understand, let me make one thing perfectly clear..."

Akane blinked with surprise as Meilin suddenly grabbed Ryouga by the back of his head and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. The girl from Japan sat there watching for several awkward seconds before the two partners finally broke the show of affection.

"M-Meilin...!" Ryouga blushed furiously.

The white-haired rogue seemed very pleased with herself as she turned her attention back to Akane. "Ryouga is my man. If you make any moves on him, I'll make you wish that cloaked guy had found you before we did. Got it?"

Akane nervously nodded her head in response. "Uhh...y-yeah..."

* * *

At the home of Cologne in the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku, a woman with long, brown hair sat hunched over a wooden table with her face buried in a book. Though she wasn't snoring, her closed eyes and slow, steady breathing made it easy to see that she was asleep with page 381 of her book serving as a makeshift pillow. Unfortunately for the slumbering Amazon, her sleep wasn't to last for very long.

"_Aroma!_"

Jolted suddenly from the dream she was having, Shampoo's sister flew back into her chair with enough force to knock it onto its back legs. Flailing her arms as she failed to keep the chair balanced, Aroma shrieked as she fell back and crashed down to the floor along with the piece of furniture she'd been sitting on.

"_Owww..._" the brown-haired girl groaned, rubbing the back of her head. Still groggy from her sleep, she soon spotted the reason she'd woken up in the first place. A familiar old woman sitting atop a wooden staff was shaking her head in her direction nearby. "_That was mean, Granny._"

"_You can nap another time, child,_" Cologne told her great-granddaughter in their native Mandarin language. "_You know very well we planned on cleaning our underground storage today, and you ARE going to help me._"

Not yet fully awake, Aroma let out a loud yawn and slowly closed her eyes again as she remained on the floor. "_O-...kay. Just...five more minu-_"

"_NOW!_" Cologne barked, startling Aroma enough to snap her back to reality again. "_Really, child, you complain about physical labor more than the rest of this village combined. Now go grab the usual __cleaning supplies and meet me down below._"

Cologne really wasn't exaggerating Aroma's disdain for physical work. With a tired look of displeasure on her face, the brown-haired Amazon stumbled to her feet and reluctantly obeyed her great-grandmother. "_Fine, I get it, Granny. I'm going, I'm going._"

The Amazon elder rolled her eyes at the girl's lack of enthusiasm as she walked off. "_Sending her abroad made that one lazy. If only that work ethic of hers extended outside of practicing medicine..._"

Hoping she wouldn't later find Aroma sleeping in another area of the house, Cologne opened the door leading to her underground storage area and hopped down the staircase on her staff. It wasn't a place that was disturbed often, so every year she liked to clean the dust that had gathered off of everything contained down there. Jewelry, pottery, writings, and other items as well as the boxes that contained them were among the objects that sat in the elder's storage.

"_Now, where to start this time..._" Cologne wondered aloud as she reached the last step. She was about to flip the light switch for the underground room, but at that moment something unusual caught her eye. There was an odd, colorful glow coming from one of the shelves. "_What on earth...?_"

The old woman left the light off for the time being, instead making her way over to where the glow was coming from. Luckily, the room was well-organized and there wasn't anything on the floor that sat in her way, making it easy for her to cross the room in the dark. Once she'd located the proper shelf, Cologne found that the strange glow was coming from a small box that had other items stacked on top of it.

"_This one?_" she eyed the container intently. "_If I remember correctly, this was..._"

Cologne carefully cleared the other items away. The box in question, as she recalled, contained two items that were largely a mystery. They were a pair of wooden cubes with peculiar markings on them that had somehow managed to survive for a period of time estimated to be between 3,000 and 6,000 years. An old acquaintance had once given them to her hoping she could decipher something about their origin, but the Amazon elder had no such luck. Regardless, she was given the strange cubes to hold onto, and she promised to divulge any new information she may come across to the one who had given them to her.

Now, as the old woman opened the lid to the box and looked inside, the mystery took a new turn. The pair of wooden cubes contained inside were both glowing brightly. The one on the left gave off a bright green color. The one on the right emitted a dark purple color.

"_This is...!_" Cologne gasped, fascinated by the new development. "_After all this time...what could have caused this?_"

* * *

Later that day, night had fallen over the plains of mainland China, where Ryouga and Meilin, along with their new guest, were sitting in a forest next to a campfire. Akane, who was both physically and mentally exhausted after her ordeal since being brought to China, had fallen asleep with her head in Ryouga's lap. Ranma's rival could only imagine how little sleep his old friend had probably gotten since she was taken from Japan.

While Ryouga didn't mind letting Akane use him as a pillow, his partner wasn't nearly as content with the idea. Sitting nearby, Meilin had a scowl on her face as she glared at the sight of her man and his former love interest.

"Ryouga..." the white-haired woman growled.

"I know, I know!" her boyfriend replied in a loud whisper. "She's been through a lot, Meilin. Just bear it for tonight."

Her eye twitching, Meilin unwillingly turned away from the unpleasant sight. "Fine."

Looking upon Akane with pity in his eyes, Ryouga gently ran his hand through her dark hair.

"I don't get it," he said. "Why did they take her, of all people? She was just a sweet, innocent girl leading a normal life in Japan. She didn't deserve to go through any of this."

"It's a weird coincidence, them going after someone you know so well," Meilin chimed in. "I'm more interested in what really happened at the Cursed Springs and after that, though. There's too much that doesn't make sense with that girl's story."

Ryouga gave his girlfriend a curious look. "With Akane's story? Like what?"

"Like with her being pursued," Meilin said to him. "Given the damage he did to that village and to Jukai, let's just assume this cloaked guy is really Sorceress Jusenkyo resurrected. If he has all this power, why is he bothering to chase down one girl? Even if she did toss him into the spring, wouldn't Jusenkyo have bigger aspirations than to spend weeks chasing one measly girl?"

"Well-" Ryouga began to say.

"And how did she avoid him?" Meilin interrupted her partner. "If this guy keeps popping up where she is, he must have some way of tracking her. So how has he let this girl slip away time after time?"

"I don't know, Meilin!" Ryouga snapped back at her defensively. "I don't know, but...there has to be some reason. Even if we don't find out though, that's fine. I just want to protect Akane and take this guy out so he can't hurt her anymore."

*_beep beep! beep beep! beep be-!_*

Shutting off an electronic device that began beeping in her pocket, Meilin stood up and walked over to where Akane's legs lay on the ground.

"I know you'll trust her no matter what, Ryouga. But I'm not so careless," she said to her partner as she knelt down.

Ryouga watched as the white-haired woman gently removed one of Akane's shoes, managing not to wake her up in the process. "Hey! What are you-?"

"If she's just an innocent victim then she has nothing to worry about. You don't mind me checking into things, right?" Meilin gave him a sharp look.

The directionally-challenged martial artist would never suspect Akane of lying to him, and he was even more certain that she wasn't involved in the attack on the village they'd seen earlier. Plus her story fit well with the information he and Meilin had already gathered. He didn't much like the fact that his partner still had her suspicions, but her cautious attitude had kept them alive on more than one occasion and that made it hard to argue with her.

"No. Go ahead," Ryouga told her. "It's a waste of time though, Meilin."

With Akane's shoe in hand, the former Seven Lucky Gods member turned around and began walking off to the south. "I'll be back in a few minutes, honey. Don't you dare let her get any more comfy with you while I'm gone."

Distancing herself from the campsite, Meilin spent several minutes wading through the trees in the forest, all the while keeping her eyes peeled. Then, hearing some rustling in one of the trees she was passing by, she came to a stop and looked up.

"_Yo yo yo!_"

Meilin took a step back as a skinny, yet well-conditioned man with short, orange-colored hair dropped down from the tree and landed in front of her. Dressed in the dark green uniform of the Chinese military, the man's face lit up with excitement upon seeing the woman.

"_Thank you for reminding me why I gave you the codename 'Gibbon',_" Meilin spoke in Mandarin, referencing the man's ape-like qualities.

"_You can call me whatever you want, Commander!_" Gibbon beamed happily. He was a member of the Orange Team of the military's Special Operations Unit, answering to the unofficial commanders of the team, Meilin and Ryouga. Because of his agility and his ability to blend in with the environment, his primary tasks were usually reconnaissance and information gathering. And, as Meilin had noticed, he had an unmatched love for taking orders from his female commander.

"_Did you bring what I told you to?_" Meilin asked him.

The orange-haired man nodded emphatically, pulling a thick piece of paper and a stick of condensed charcoal out of his backpack.

"_Good,_" Meilin handed him Akane's shoe. "_Use that charcoal to copy this shoeprint._"

"_Yes ma'am!_" Gibbon gleefully did as he was instructed. Placing the bottom of the shoe against one side of his paper, he brushed the charcoal against the other side until he had a clear image of the bottom of the shoe. Once he was done, he briefly held it up in the moonlight to confirm that he was finished. "_Yeah, looks good! What now, Commander?_"

"_Now...you go on a little trip,_" Meilin answered her subordinate. "_Go to the Cursed Springs of __Jusenkyo and find the spring with the giant boulder next to it. You should see four sets of footprints heading toward the northwest from there, two of which belong to myself and Ryouga._"

The skinny man's commander pointed at the paper he was holding with the shoeprint on it. "_Your mission is to check if that print matches one of the other two sets of prints leading out of the springs. If it does, study the one that matches it and try to discern anything you can about the person and what they were doing. Is that clear?_"

"_Yes, Commander! I'll get right on it, Commander!_" Gibbon saluted her.

"_Good. Don't take more than a few days, and report back to me when you're finished,_" Meilin instructed him. "_Now go!_"

With an elated howl, Gibbon nimbly jumped back up into the trees and disappeared. Meilin was now free to head back to camp.

"_Akane Tendo...I don't trust that girl. She'd better hope what Gibbon finds matches her story._"

* * *

Meanwhile, inside a large military compound on the east coast of China, a battle-scarred soldier sat impatiently in the medical area with his jacket in his lap and a falcon watching over him from atop a medicine cabinet. Hearing the sound of footsteps growing nearer, the soldier soon spotted an older, gray-haired man with a mustache walking toward him with a folder in his hand.

"_How long were you planning on making me wait, Doc? I don't have time to be sitting around here, dammit!_" Jukai, Commander of the Special Operations Unit's Viper Team, complained.

The doctor, dressed in a long, white coat, brushed off the surly attitude of the soldier and took a seat across from him. "_You're sure eager, as always._"

"_Of course I am! I need to put Jusenkyo back in her crusty old grave!_" the man with dirty blonde hair declared. "_Now you gonna let me out of here or not?_"

The old man gave Jukai's body a quick look over. "_You really have lost weight._"

The weight comment, which he'd been getting a lot recently, only agitated Jukai further. "_I didn't come here to talk about my weight! Either clear me to go kick Jusenkyo's ass or I'm leaving!_"

The doctor, seeing his patient wasn't in the mood for small talk, stood up and walked over to him. He then tightly grabbed the thigh that Jukai had injured in his battle with Jusenkyo when a shard of wood from a tree had been driven through it. The soldier's eyes noticeably opened wider with the contact, but Jukai didn't so much as utter a peep that would have indicated he was in pain.

"_You and I both know this wound hasn't had enough time to completely heal,_" the doctor said, giving Jukai a stern look. "_But...I suppose that never stopped you before. If you can grin and bear it, I don't see any reason to keep you here._"

The soldier's eyes lit up with a familiar excitement. "_You know me too good, Doc. If that's your call, I'm taking off._"

"_Wait!_"

Jukai was about to slip his jacket on when the doctor's order stopped him. "_What now? Make it quick, Doc. I'm in a hurry._"

With an audible sigh, the old man slowly walked over to his seat and grabbed the folder he'd brought. "_I'm sorry, Jukai._"

"_Huh?_" the soldier gave him a strange look. "_You've never apologized to me for anything before. What's with you?_"

Clearly troubled with what he had to do, the doctor reached into the folder and took out an envelope. Then, regretfully, he handed it over to his patient.

"_What's this?_" Jukai grabbed it.

"_Your discharge papers,_" the doctor told him.

Jukai immediately froze up, speechless. Stunned by the realization of what he'd just been given, his surprise quickly turned to rage as he glared at the old man. "_If this is true then...you bastard, did you-?_"

"_They ordered me to give them a complete medical report on you, Jukai. I had no choice,_" the doctor apologized.

Torn between his anger and the uncertainty he now faced, Jukai threw the envelope across the room and collapsed down into his chair, holding his head in his hands.

"_People aren't blind, Jukai. Everyone could tell that you'd lost quite a bit of weight recently,_" the doctor said to him. "_You knew it, too...that the treatment wasn't working anymore._"

Jukai remained still, not disagreeing with the doctor's analysis.

"_...How long do I got?_"

"_A few months at best,_" the old man told him. "_I'm sorry, Jukai._"

Sitting up straight again, the shaggy-haired soldier slowly nodded his head, forcing himself to accept the unpleasant news he'd been given. "_Well ain't that a bitch. That's life, though..._"

Jukai took a deep breath and stood up, slipping his dark green military jacket on with pride. Seeing that as its signal, the falcon perched nearby hopped down from the cabinet and took its reserved spot on the soldier's shoulder.

Ready to take off on a new journey with the military now in his past, Jukai walked over to the doctor and placed a hand on his shoulder. "_Thanks, Doc. You've been taking care of me since I was a kid, like the dad I never had._"

The doctor's facial muscles strained as he tried to fight back his tears. "_We tried so hard to find a cure, Jukai. I'm so sorry._"

"_Don't sweat it, Doc,_" Jukai smirked. "_I won't leave this world with any regrets._"

Holding his head high, the soldier began walking toward the door to leave the compound for the last time.

"_Where will you go?_" the doctor quickly asked.

A small chuckle could be heard coming from Jukai as he walked.

"_I made a promise to this annoying guy with a pigtail in Japan a few months back. Think it's about time I made good on it._"

* * *

**End of Chapter 10**


	36. QoE: Undefeated Champion

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

*_tap tap tap tap_...*

Four days after her grueling quarter-final gymnastics match, Kodachi Kuno sat on the wooden walkway bordering her home and stared out at the garden with a bored look in her eyes. She'd gotten back from school not even an hour earlier after taking the last few days off due to her battered condition, which had since steadily improved to the point that she could make the trip to St. Hebereke School for Girls without much discomfort. Her back and arms were still very tender, but for the most part she was now able to move around just fine.

What bothered Kodachi the most now wasn't the pain from her previous match, but rather her own impatience.

"Sasuke!" the Black Rose called out to her servant, taking a break from her constant tapping on the wooden boards she sat on.

*_thud!_*

Sasuke let out a loud groan just before he emerged from beneath the estate holding his cranium. The Kuno family servant had been sweeping underneath the house when the sudden call caused him to hit his head on the floorboards.

"Nngh...yes, Mistress?"

"Why is Ringo not here yet?" the dark-haired girl asked.

Sasuke appeared confused as he looked up at her. "Miss Ringo? Don't you remember, Mistress? She said she wouldn't be able to come again until later tonight."

"What?" Kodachi shrieked. "I do not remember hearing of this!"

"Really?" Sasuke scratched his head. "As I recall, she was quite clear about being busy with her job and such today."

The expression on the face of Kodachi only grew more sour. "And what am I to do now? I have important matters to discuss with her!"

"Oh? Well, if it's really that urgent, I'm sure Miss Ringo wouldn't mind if you stopped by the restaurant to speak with her," the ninja suggested.

To say Kodachi was appalled by the suggestion would be an understatement. "Go to that place? Are you mad? I would never go within 30 feet of that horrid love nest of Ranma and the Chinese bimbo!"

Her reaction didn't come as a huge surprise to Sasuke, especially considering how hard Kodachi had taken the whole Ranma situation months earlier.

"Right...forgive me, Mistress. I shouldn't have suggested such a thing."

Figuring he wasn't needed any further, the Kuno family servant quietly went back under the house and resumed his sweeping duties.

"Aha! I see how it is!"

*_thud!_*

Startled by the shrill voice of his mistress, Sasuke again smacked his cranium on the floorboards.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." he rubbed his head in pain. As Sasuke turned back toward the daylight, he could see Kodachi's head hanging down from over the edge of the walkway. "W-what it is, Mistress?"

"You think I am a coward, don't you?" Kodachi glared at him.

"What? No, of course n-"

"You believe I am afraid of going to that restaurant! Admit it!"

"I would never think such a thi-!"

"Well I am no coward, and I am not afraid! And I shall prove it!" the proud gymnast stated. "I am marching down there right this instant to speak with Ringo! Just you watch!"

Her bold declaration made, Kodachi promptly hopped down from the walkway and headed for the gate of the Kuno estate.

Sasuke, meanwhile, looked and felt mentally tired following the peculiar verbal exchange with his mistress. "I don't understand why she needs to come up with an excuse to go see Miss Ringo," he muttered to himself. "Then again, this is Mistress Kodachi we're talking about..."

* * *

Elsewhere, over in the land of China, the trio of Ryouga, Meilin, and Akane were currently resting on the bank of the Yellow River. With the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo after Akane, the group had endured several stressful days of being on high alert in anticipation of being attacked. Thus far, however, Jusenkyo was nowhere to be seen.

Meilin, in particular, was quickly losing her patience with this mission. Gibbon, whom she'd sent to the Cursed Springs to do some investigating, still hadn't gotten back to her on whether or not Akane's story seemed plausible, which left her unable to let her guard down around the girl from Japan for the time being. Perhaps more aggravating to her, though, was the lack of privacy she and Ryouga were now saddled with. She'd expected Jusenkyo to come after them from day one and for Akane to be on her way back to the Land of the Rising Sun by now, but with days having now passed, the absence of her usual "alone time" with her man had her in a foul mood.

"Hey," the white-haired warrior glared over at Akane, "where the hell is Jusenkyo, you liar? Why isn't this guy coming after us?"

"I wasn't lying!" the daughter of Soun Tendo was quick to defend her story. "I...I don't know where he is..."

Meilin continued to give the nervous girl a sour look. "We even went north because you said he went this way, and we still haven't seen him. Something isn't right here."

"I said I don't know, okay?" Akane told her, looking very emotional.

If there was one thing Ryouga didn't want to see, it was for the girls to be at odds with each other, especially with Akane already in a fragile state of mind. "Hey, Meilin, give her a break. She doesn't know."

Her eye twitching with irritation after her man came to Akane's aid, Meilin stood up and started walking away. "I'm going to report in to the General. You two have a nice time while I'm gone."

The directionally-challenged martial artist noticeably cringed as he watched his girlfriend walk off. They'd had their quarrels over the course of their relationship, but this one involving another woman was new territory.

"She doesn't like me at all, does she?" the young Tendo girl sighed as she stared out at the river.

"It's not that, Akane. She's just cautious, and...she worries about me," Ryouga tried to explain.

To the military prisoner's surprise, Akane actually began giggling to herself. She'd been so nerve-wracked and frightened over the past few days that Ryouga figured this was the first time she'd smiled at all since they'd found her.

"I still remember how surprised everyone was when we heard you had a girlfriend," Akane looked over at him. "How did it all happen?"

His cheeks turning red, Ryouga shied away from his friend's curious gaze and began twiddling his fingers. "W-well, you know, it was just...it was all really sudden," he laughed. "She just...and I...well..."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Akane chuckled. "I guess I'm imposing on you guys. Maybe that's why she can't stand me."

"Hey, don't worry about that, Akane. I'll make it up to her once this whole Jusenkyo thing is taken care of. I promise," her old friend assured her.

Falling back against the grass and looking up at the sky, a somewhat sad look crossed the face of the Furinkan High student. "You really are a nice guy, Ryouga. Maybe I should have scooped you up when you were still single."

Slowly turning to look at his friend, the expression on Ryouga's face showed just how stunned Akane's words had left him. Wide-eyed and speechless, he had no idea what to make of what she'd just said to him. He would have killed to hear Akane say something like that back when they were both still in Japan and he was available. But right now, those words were nothing more than a mere compliment to his character. He was already in a relationship with Meilin, and that wasn't going to change.

More than what Akane's words said about him, however, Ryouga also wondered what they implied about the current relationship between she and her fiancé.

"Say, Akane," he spoke to her, "I've been meaning to ask you about something. You said you wanted to get away from home for a while, but...why? Did something happen with Ranma?"

Upon hearing the pigtailed boy's name, Akane immediately closed her eyes. Then, her face starting to contort with a mix of emotions, she rolled over on her side and curled up into a ball. The youngest Tendo daughter didn't say a word.

"I-I'm sorry," Ryouga apologized, already regretting asking her about it. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I won't ask again."

Whatever had happened, it was clear to Ryouga that his old rival had done something that hurt Akane a great deal.

"_Ranma,_" he thought angrily, "_...just what did you do to her?_"

* * *

Back in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, some stares were being directed toward the front of the Cat Café restaurant where a dark-haired girl was kneeling down outside the entrance. Appearing very suspicious to some of the passersby, she peered into the restaurant through the slightly opened door and watched almost in horror as the young waitress within went about her usual job duties.

"Such filthy menial labor...how terrible," Kodachi covered her mouth in disgust. "Why is Ringo smiling? She cannot possibly be enjoying herself in there. That job of hers is nothing short of torture!"

The wealthy daughter of the Kuno family, whose upbringing gave her a much more negative view of her second's job than most other people would hold, felt like rushing into the restaurant and dragging Ringo out of there for her own good. For the moment, however, there were two other people inside the business that were keeping Kodachi's feet planted right where they were. Those two were the Amazon girl working in the kitchen and the pigtailed boy that right now happened to be clearing off the table nearest the door.

"You were once such a proud man, and now look at you, handling the dishes of others," the younger Kuno sibling looked upon Ranma with pity. "I must get Ringo away from here, but I do not wish to meet eyes with Ranma. And I certainly do not want to be near that hussy that stole him from me! What ever shall I do?"

In the midst of her "rescue mission", there were a number of background noises that Kodachi was filtering out, both from vehicles and pedestrians in the area. But while this helped her concentration, it also left her susceptible to unexpected sources of interference, and one of those would happen to manifest itself in the form of a motorcycle that had just stopped outside the restaurant. Kodachi had ignored the sound of the bike approaching just as she had everything else, and that was a move she was about to regret.

*_whack!_*

Kodachi shot to her feet and let out a pained howl as she felt someone slap her on her ailing back. Tears welling up in her eyes from the stinging sensation between her shoulders, the furious gymnast spun around to see just who had the audacity to strike her. The culprit, a familiar looking pink-haired girl wearing a leather jacket, didn't appear to bear any ill will as she flashed the St. Hebereke student a carefree smile.

"You! Sakura!" Kodachi scowled at her opponent of a few days ago.

"What's up, 'Dachi?" the gymnast most recently eliminated from the Queen of Extreme Tournament, Sakura Okazaki, greeted her.

"Wha-...how dare you? Not only do you attack me from behind, but you even have the gall to butcher my beautiful name! It is Kodachi! Ko-da-chi, you brute!" the irate Kuno chided her.

The girl nicknamed Heavy Metal didn't seem too worried about offending her fellow gymnast. "Whoa, lighten up! Why so hostile?"

Kodachi looked at her in disbelief. "Why? WHY? You knocked me onto a mound of thumbtacks, that is why!"

"I know! Wasn't that great?" Sakura grinned, pointing to the bandage on her forehead. "And you split my head open with a golf club. So what?"

"So what?" Kodachi growled at her. "Now you listen...wait a moment, why are you here? You do not live anywhere near this area!"

The pink-haired girl nodded her head. "Yeah, no kiddin'. I took a little road trip to come talk to ya. Got some free time?"

"You...you came to speak with me?" a confused Black Rose blinked. "But how did you know where I was?"

"Oh, I stopped at your place and this ninja guy said you'd be here," Sakura explained, taking a quick look at the restaurant's exterior. "What're you doin' here, anyway? Come to get a snack?"

Hesitant to answer the question, Kodachi was quickly starting to feel embarrassed. She didn't want to admit that she'd come to this place just to see Ringo. "W-well, I...yes, I was feeling a bit famished," she lied, hiding her true intentions. "But I am feeling much better now, so-"

Kodachi let out a gasp as she suddenly felt Sakura's hand wrap around her forearm.

"Y'know, the trip here made me kinda hungry, too," the wild girl admitted. "C'mon, we can talk over some grub!"

The younger Kuno sibling's heart nearly skipped a beat as she saw Sakura's other hand reaching for the door to the Cat Café.

"No, stop this! Unhand me, you-!"

Kodachi tried to pry herself free, but the other girl's notably strong grip was too much for her. She could only watch in dismay as her unwelcome visitor flung open the door to the restaurant and dragged her inside.

"Table for two!" the pink-haired girl loudly announced.

With her notepad in hand, Ringo, who was in her pink waitress' outfit, was the first to address the new customers. "Sure! Just sit anywhere you li-...eh...Sakura? And...Kodachi?"

"Hey...you're her second, ain't ya?" Sakura gave Ringo a perplexed look.

Noticing that his former female half seemed distracted, Ranma wandered over to see what the issue was. "Yo, Ringo, what's...err...Kodachi? And you're..."

"Ah! You're that guy that beat up my crew!" a surprised Sakura exclaimed, recalling the incident on Odaiba months earlier. "You guys all know each other?"

"Ranma, what going on?" Shampoo asked, sticking her head out from the kitchen. "Aiyaa! What crazy Kuno girl do here? And that one...is that gymnast girl that ride motorcycle!"

"You, too?" Sakura shouted upon seeing the lavender-haired cook. "What the heck! How do you know all these people, 'Dachi?"

Kodachi Kuno, now finding herself faced with everyone she was trying to avoid, hung her head and began shaking as she was overcome with embarrassment and anger.

"'Dachi...?" the Joudai High student quirked an eyebrow at her fellow gymnast.

Shampoo, who couldn't simply ignore the presence of the girls in her restaurant, hopped over the counter and joined her boyfriend and waitress. "Ringo invite those ones?"

The red-haired girl quickly shook her head. "It wasn't me. I wonder why they came..."

"I dunno, but Kodachi don't look too happy 'bout it," Ranma pointed out.

Sakura had to grab Kodachi's wrists as the Black Rose suddenly tried to wrap her hands around her throat. "Whoa! Hey-!"

The younger Kuno sibling had a crazed look in her eyes. "You wicked, wicked little-! What grudge do you bear against me?"

"_Hey, it really is Heavy Metal!_"

"_And the Black Rose, too!_"

Sakura and Kodachi both stopped for a moment as two high school boys brushed past Shampoo and hurried over to them. They weren't anyone the grappling gymnasts had seen before, but the two boys certainly seemed to be familiar with them.

"Sorry to bother you, but we had to come meet two of the EGF's best!" the taller of the boys said to them.

"Ohh, fans, huh?" Heavy Metal beamed with pride.

"Totally!" the other boy affirmed. "That match you guys had on Sunday was amazing! Everyone's talking about it!"

"It's not often we get to see Heavy Metal bring out her best tools, and then for Kodachi to take all that punishment and not give up...it was so cool!" the taller boy added.

Looking down at the dark-haired gymnast, Sakura noticed that she appeared to be genuinely surprised by the praise.

"Cool? Moi?" Kodachi batted her eyes.

"Yeah! You were awesome! Oh, hang on...!" the shorter boy said, fishing a pen and his daily planner out of his pocket. "Would you two sign my planner?"

"Oh, mine too! Would you?" the other boy asked them.

"Hell yeah! Anything for a couple of fans," Sakura grinned. "How 'bout it, 'Dachi?"

As would become evident, Kodachi Kuno's ego was still very much intact. Presented with praise and admiration by the two young gentlemen, her mood almost instantly brightened up to the point that she was laughing with exhilaration. "Oho...ohoho...ohhhohohoo!"

Though she was receiving some funny looks from Ranma and the others, Kodachi brushed them off to address her adoring fans. "I am quite the star, am I not? If you desire my autograph so badly, I suppose I shall bestow this wonderful gift upon you."

"Um...great!" the taller of the boys gave his friend an uncertain look.

Both of the gymnasts proceeded to sign the covers of the boys' planners. The young men were a bit taken aback by Kodachi's unique attitude, but gracious for the autographs nonetheless.

"Wow, thanks so much!" the shorter boy said excitedly.

"Yeah, this is so cool! Everyone's going to be so jealous!" the other added. "We'll get out of here and let you eat. And Miss Kuno...umm..."

"Hmm?" Kodachi tilted her head.

The taller boy seemed much more serious than before. "Well, we were hoping Metal would do it, but since you beat her...please, beat Priscilla! You're the only one left in the tournament who can do it!"

"That's right! We're rooting for you all the way!" the other boy agreed with his friend.

With their goals accomplished, the boys took their leave. Confusion was evident on the face of Kodachi, however, who wasn't sure who they were talking about.

"Priscilla?"

"Tch, they beat me to it," Sakura smirked, drawing a curious look from the dark-haired gymnast. "Whatever, let's sit down. We got things to talk about."

"And why should I?" Kodachi fussed, shooting an uncomfortable glance back at Ranma and Shampoo. "I...I should not be in here..."

Apparently willing to let bygones be bygones, Shampoo shrugged her shoulders and pointed her finger at the Saotome pair. "Is okay with Shampoo, but you no let Kuno girl make mess."

"Gotcha," Ranma smiled, placing his hand on Ringo's shoulder. "Take a break and go chat with 'em. Just, y'know...make sure Kodachi don't break nothin'."

"Okay," the redhead chuckled as she waltzed over to the gymnasts. "Hey, Kodachi!"

"Greetings, Ringo," the Black Rose replied, starting to wonder why she hadn't been asked to leave yet. "They do not mind my being here?"

The young waitress shook her head. "Nope! They said it's okay, but only if you promise not to break anything."

"R-really..." Kodachi batted her eyes in surprise. "Well, then...I suppose I can bear it for a short while."

"Great, now sit down already. My stomach's growlin' like my bike's engine," Heavy Metal groaned.

The three girls sat at a table for four, with Kodachi sitting between the other two. Before Sakura could bring up what she came to discuss, however, Ranma came over to the table to take their order.

"You guys want any food?" he asked them.

Kodachi, clearly still tense around her former love interest, had to turn away from him as her cheeks started to turn pink. Sakura, on the other hand, had no such issues.

"Don't need a full meal, but I could go for some snacks. Any suggestions?" the hungry gymnast asked.

"Mmm...well, Shampoo makes some mean potstickers," the pigtailed martial artist spoke from experience.

"Ohh! Sounds good!" Sakura said excitedly, practically drooling already. "How 'bout you, 'Dachi?"

"Stop calling me that!" the younger Kuno sibling snapped at her, quickly turning away again as to avoid Ranma's gaze. "I-I do not need anything. I shall eat at home later."

Ranma threw his hands up in the air indifferently. "Suit yourself. I'll get the potstickers out here in a few."

Intrigued by the behavior of the Black Rose around Ranma, Sakura gave her a sly look after he'd left. "Someone sure got shy all of a sudden. You crushin' on that guy?"

"N-no, I am not! And it is none of your business!" Kodachi shot her back a nasty glare, her cheeks still showing some color. "Now tell me, what did you come all this way to speak to me of?"

Seemingly content with letting the romance talk go for now, the pink-haired girl settled back in her chair. "A couple things, but mostly I wanted to talk to ya about Priscilla."

"Priscilla? The same one those boys were talking about before?" Ringo joined in on the conversation.

"Oh, yes. Who is she?" the Kuno girl asked.

"Who is she?" the other gymnast nearly fell out of her seat. "She's the Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion! You entered the tournament and didn't even know that? She even won the Queen of Extreme Tournament three years ago when you were there! How do you not know her?"

"How was I to know? I paid no attention to that silly tournament after I was defeated!" the St. Hebereke student said in her defense.

Sakura started rubbing her forehead as she settled in again. "Good god, you of all people oughtta know her. Priscilla Winters? As in the little sister of Katrina Winters? The one who trained you?"

Glancing over at her partner, Ringo could tell that the name "Katrina Winters" had some sort of meaning to her as Kodachi looked unusually uncomfortable. "Are you okay, Kodachi? Who is this Katrina?"

"Hah! Only the greatest champion the sport of martial arts rhythmic gymnastics has ever seen," Sakura laughed at the young waitress. "Katrina 'Cat Five' Winters. She was freaking unreal!"

The Black Rose clearly had some complex feelings when it came to discussing Katrina as she didn't seem to feel like joining in.

"Um...what does 'Cat Five' mean exactly?" a confused Ringo asked.

"Ah, she got that nickname over in America," the pink-haired gymnast explained. "They've got this thing called the Saffir-Simpson Scale that they use to categorize typhoons where Category One's the weakest and Category Five's the strongest. Anyway, people over there used to compare facing her to fighting a typhoon 'cause she came at 'em with so much, so they started calling her 'Cat Five'. Pretty cool nickname, huh? And 'Dachi here somehow got that legend to train her."

Kodachi and Sakura locked eyes, the former none too happy that the girl sitting next to her had brought up this touchy subject.

"So," Sakura continued, "how's she been doing?"

Her discomfort evident as she bit down on her bottom lip, the daughter of the Kuno family folded her arms and looked the other way. "How am I to know? I'm sure she is having a wonderful time in America," she said bitterly. "That woman had the nerve to leave without even a word to me. I haven't a care in the world what she is doing now."

"So she really did train you," Ringo said, looking impressed. "I never knew someone like that taught you gymnastics."

"I never wanted you to know either, but this blabbermouth went and blurted it out," Kodachi sneered at Sakura again.

"It ain't like it's a big secret, y'know," Heavy Metal pointed out. "Still...didn't you ever think of goin' there to see her? To America, I mean."

Kodachi didn't appear thrilled with the idea. "Absolutely not! Why would I go see some woman who would not even give me the courtesy of a goodbye? I never wish to see her again!"

"Really? That's too bad," Sakura let out a sigh, a small smile crossing her face afterward. "Katrina was my idol. Still is. The first time I went and saw one of her matches live, it made me feel somethin' I'd never felt before. She was so damn cool...I wanted to be just like her."

"Is she the reason you became a gymnast?" Ringo asked her.

"Yeah, I started training the very next day," the pink-haired girl replied. "Every day I'd work my butt off and keep thinking one thing over and over again. No matter how long it took, I wanted to have a match against her, and I still do. That's why I'm hoppin' on a plane and goin' to America after I graduate in the Spring."

By now, the wild gymnast's passion had drawn Kodachi's gaze back to her.

"I'll go there and take on the world's best 'til I get to face Katrina," Sakura closed her eyes and smiled. "'That's my dream, and nobody's gonna stop me."

"Wow, that's great to have a dream like that!" Ringo admired the gymnast's aspirations.

Kodachi wasn't so impressed. "Hmph," she snorted. "Are you going to drop her in thumbtacks, too?"

Having to think about that one for a moment, the Joudai High School representative raised her hand up and began rubbing her chin. "I wonder if I could..."

"Nevermind," the Kuno girl said with annoyance. "And not that it matters, but I do remember seeing that woman's younger sister. I'm fairly certain her name was not Priscilla, though."

"Really?" Ringo blinked. "What was it then?"

"I cannot recall," the Black Rose replied, not interested in putting much effort into trying to remember the girl's name. "I only saw that brat a handful of times, and she always gave me this filthy look of contempt for no reason."

Next to her, Sakura didn't look surprised in the least. "I've never heard of her having a different name, but the dirty looks make sense. Priscilla hates everyone from Japan."

"W-what?" the young waitress sitting across from her faltered. "Why would she hate us?"

"They say she got made fun of pretty bad in school just for bein' a blonde American girl," the pink-haired gymnast told her. "Kids are cruel, y'know? It gets better though. When she was 14 and scouting high schools, the EGF Champion at the time was the president of the gymnastics club at a school she went to visit. So Priscilla goes in the gym to get a look at the team, and the president acts like a total bitch. She tells her she won't let her on the team even if she does choose their school."

Though quiet, Kodachi was listening intently to every word of the story.

"That's horrible! Why would she do that?" Ringo felt sorry for the girl.

"Dunno. Maybe 'cause she was a foreigner, or maybe 'cause the champ thought Priscilla might be better than her," Sakura suggested. "I guess that's what finally made Priscilla snap, though. She was already gonna enter the Queen of Extreme Tournament that year, but the champ really lit a fire under her ass. So she entered the thing the same year me, Kiriko, and 'Dachi all entered for the first time."

Now even more intrigued, Ringo turned to her dark-haired partner for further information. "Did you see her back then, Kodachi?"

"Only at the qualifying event," the Black Rose responded. "Even then, I did not see much of her."

"They were on opposite sides of the bracket, so they had their early matches on different days," Heavy Metal informed the waitress. "Anyway, so Priscilla and the champ made it all the way to the finals. It was a tight match, but Priscilla finally hit her hard enough that she couldn't make the ref's ten count, so she won and became the new champion. Then after it was over, the ex-champ tried to save face and shake Priscilla's hand. Guess what happens?"

Both Kodachi and Ringo were noticeably interested in what went down.

"What?" the redhead asked.

"Not only does Priscilla not accept the handshake, she laughs in her face," Sakura chuckled a bit at the memory. "Now the ex-champ don't like this and she tries to hit her, but Priscilla pulls out a club she was holdin' and WHAM! Nails her right in the chin and knocks her out cold. And the crowd, they didn't know the history between 'em, so they see Priscilla do this and they start booing her. So what does she do? She smiles and raises the championship belt over her head, lovin' every bit of it. She probably felt like she'd just stuck it to every one of us that ever made fun of her."

"Wow..." Ringo said in amazement.

Kodachi shook her head at the enjoyment her fellow gymnast seemed to get out of telling the story. "You certainly seem to admire what she did."

"She made a statement. It's hard not to like," Sakura admitted. "She can go to hell for everything she's done since then, though. Screw her and her little three-year undefeated streak."

"What?" the younger Kuno sibling finally lit up. "You mean to tell me she has not been beaten even once? Even my Master was met with defeat in her early days!"

"A bunch of wins, no losses, and one draw against yours truly," the pink-haired girl ran off Priscilla's record. "And what pisses us all off even more is how she does it. She's got no second, she only uses the basic gymnastics tools, and she purposely has every match of hers at her opponent's school if she has a choice."

Not one of those three details went unnoticed by the tandem sitting with her.

"No second? And not one special tool?" the Black Rose had confusion written all over her face.

Ringo seemed particularly interested in the third characteristic. "Why wouldn't she have her matches at her own school? I don't get it."

"It ain't easy to find a second when you hate everyone and go outta your way to make everyone feel the same about you. Instead, she just dumps a bunch of tools around the ring and snaps 'em up with a ribbon when she needs them." Sakura explained. "Special tools? She's fine without 'em. Nobody likes to admit it, but she's the best technical gymnast in Japan. She's so damn good with regulation tools that she can fight on par with anyone that uses special ones. And as for the school thing, well...you can guess. She likes goin' into hostile environments and shoving it in the fans' faces by beating their school's reps in front of them. She's one hundred percent bitch."

"She really doesn't get along with anyone? She must feel so lonely..." the young redhead said with a sad expression.

"Hey, don't you go feeling sorry for her! She brings it on herself," Sakura snorted.

Seated between the two, Kodachi loudly cleared her throat, successfully grabbing the attention of both of them. "While I am appreciative of this information, I do not quite understand the point. You do realize that I am facing Kiriko next and not this Priscilla, do you not?"

A smirk crossing her face, Heavy Metal seemed understanding of the inquiry as she sat back in her chair again. "I get that, and I know how much you wanna get back at her for knockin' you outta the tournament three years ago. But you need to get this..." she gave Kodachi a serious look. "We don't all like each other a whole lot, but it's the goal of every other gymnast in the EGF to take the title of Champion off of Priscilla Winters. If any one of us has a chance to do it, the rest of us are behind them. We hate her that much. And the point of all this? Everyone knows that Kiriko Nakajima can't beat her except for Kiriko herself."

Kodachi raised an eyebrow, seeming genuinely curious about this unflattering opinion of her old nemesis. "And pray tell, why is that?"

"Her style don't match up well against Priscilla. Simple as that. She's too damn stubborn to admit it though, even after she got slaughtered in under a minute in the finals of last year's Queen of Extreme Tournament," Sakura groaned in disdain at the memory.

"Food's on!"

Distracted from her current train of thought, the pink-haired gymnast's eyes lit up as Ranma placed a dish stacked with potstickers onto the table in front of her. "Ooh! This looks great!" she smiled with delight. "Hey, Loverboy! You were at my last match against Priscilla, right?"

"Loverboy...?" Ranma grimaced at the odd name, no doubt a reference to their first meeting when he was on a date with Shampoo. "Yeah, why d'ya ask?"

Sakura's mouth watered as she brought one of the potstickers to her nose and smelled it. "What would you say was Priscilla's weakness?"

"Her weakness, huh?" the pigtailed boy thought back to the match while Sakura stuffed the potsticker in her mouth. "Even without a second, I dunno if she had one. She always had an answer when ya came at her head on. But...I guess she did have more trouble when ya pulled out somethin' really weird, like stuff she probably wasn't expectin'."

"Bhmgo!" the wild girl exclaimed with her mouth full, quickly downing the chewed potsticker remains to continue her point. "Like I said, she's the best technical gymnast in Japan. Come at her with somethin' she's prepared for and she'll throw it right back in your face. So the only type of gymnast that can beat her is one with an unorthodox offense, and the only one left in the tournament who has that is..."

"Me?" Kodachi asked, starting to see what her fellow gymnast was getting at.

The pink-haired girl gave her an affirming nod. "It's not just a personal thing with you and Kiriko. The rest of us need you to win, 'cause you're the best hope there is of dethroning Priscilla in this tournament. Those two guys that were here before? Most fans feel the same way they do. Even though you're just the 11th Seed in this thing, they believe in you. That's all they can do. Get it?"

The younger Kuno sibling narrowed her eyes as Sakura leaned forward and got right in her face.

"When you go out there to face Kiriko, just remember that we're all behind ya," a wicked smile crossed the face of Heavy Metal. "Kick her ass, Black Rose."

In the process of flopping back into her seat, Sakura flipped another potsticker into the air and caught it in her mouth. Kodachi, meanwhile, emitted an amused chuckle after the wild gymnast had finished saying what she'd come to say.

"Really, there was no need to come all this way to tell me such a thing. Whether anyone is behind me or not, I have no intention of letting that vile harpy leave our match with the ability to walk, much less with a victory," she declared, then shooting a stern glance at her second. "Ringo, training resumes tonight. Be prepared to go further than we have in any session yet."

Seeing the fire in her partner's eyes upped the level of excitement in Ringo herself. Now knowing what was waiting for them at the end of the tournament, she was more determined than ever to help Kodachi get past Kiriko.

"Right!"

* * *

A while later, the gymnastics duo of Sakura and Kodachi emerged from the Cat Café together, along with Ranma and Ringo who were seeing them off.

"Whew, that hit the spot!" the pink-haired girl rubbed her stomach after a satisfying snack.

Having painstakingly endured watching her fellow gymnast eat for longer than she ever would have liked, Kodachi shot a look of disgust her way. "Has anyone ever mentioned that you eat like a swine?"

"Hey, I gotta eat to fuel these muscles," Sakura flexed her arms, not seeming to mind the obvious insult as she glanced back at Ranma. "Hey, Loverboy! Tell your lady she's a hell of a cook for me."

The pigtailed boy cringed again at the nickname. "Again with the Loverboy stuff..." he muttered. "Yeah, sure thing. You'll have to come back sometime for a full meal."

"You bet!" Heavy Metal grinned.

While her brash visitor headed over to her motorcycle, Kodachi stopped for a quick word with her second. "I was not expecting things to turn out like this..." she said.

"Yeah, me either. I never thought you'd come here, and to show up with Sakura of all people, wow!" Ringo giggled to herself. "But you know, I'm glad you did. It was fun."

"Really?" Kodachi looked surprised at her reaction. "Well, I...I suppose it was not too bad. Perhaps I shall visit again another time."

"Sure!" the young waitress smiled. "You can even eat something next time if you want."

"Hah!" the Black Rose scoffed at the idea as she turned to walk away. "I said I may visit, not eat that other woman's deplorable food!"

The sharp tongue of the gymnast drew an amused look from Ranma. "That sounds more like the Kodachi I know."

Though she appeared as if she were leaving, the Black Rose began to slow down all of sudden, soon coming to a complete stop again. She then quietly looked over her shoulder at Ringo.

"Hmm? What is it?" her second blinked.

"No...it is nothing," the girl from St. Hebereke was quick to answer as she turned away again. "Tonight, Ringo. Do not be late."

"I won't," Ringo waved to her.

Sakura, who had already started up her bike, tried to get her fellow gymnast's attention as she was leaving. "Hey, 'Dachi! Hop on! I'll give ya a ride home!"

"I am not going anywhere near that death trap!" Kodachi immediately snapped at her.

"Aww, c'mon! It ain't that scary!"

"Go home and leave me alone, you pest! Shoo!"

"Come on, don't be a scaredy-cat, 'Dachi..."

"AND STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

The two guests got further away and the sound of their bickering faded, leaving Ranma and Ringo by themselves outside the restaurant.

"Man, that got me nervous," Ranma admitted. "Good thing she didn't tick Shampoo off or this place woulda been trashed."

"Yeah, but it turned out okay I think," the red-haired girl smiled. "You know, even though they're really different, I think Kodachi and Sakura could be good friends if they got the chance."

Folding his arms across his chest, Ranma gave his former female half an interested look. "You're the one who looks like she's good friends with her. I can't believe you two are gettin' along that well so quick."

"Ahaha, yeah, I guess," Ringo laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I was still mad at her just a few days ago, but I guess things changed when I saw her trying so hard in her match against Sakura. She was really incredible."

The Cat Café's busboy patted her lightly on the shoulder. "And here I thought you didn't like fightin'."

"I still don't!" Ringo playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyway, we'd better get back to work before Shampoo comes looking for us."

"Yeah..." Ranma said in agreement.

The pigtailed boy's actions didn't match his words, though. Ringo had approached the restaurant's door already when she noticed that her co-worker wasn't following her.

"Umm...aren't you coming?" she asked him.

Acting strangely, Ranma suddenly untied the black apron he wore to keep his clothes from getting dirty and tossed it to Ringo.

"Hey, do me a favor, will ya?" he said to the confused waitress. "Tell Shampoo I'll be back in a bit."

"Huh?" Ringo gave him a funny look. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah...somethin' just came up," the pigtailed martial artist told her.

"Oh...okay..." the redhead gave him an unsure sounding reply. She didn't know what was going on, but Ranma's demeanor somehow had her concerned. Still, the waitress did as she was asked and went on into the Cat Café ahead of him.

Now by himself, Ranma Saotome took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, closing his eyes to take in the nearby sounds. Then, with the speed he loved to boast of, he jumped up and vaulted over a wall, starting to sprint the moment his feet touched ground on the other side.

He didn't let up even a bit as he stormed through the Nerima Ward, hopping onto houses and leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Several times he briefly looked over his shoulder, but never for very long. Then, after several minutes, the son of Genma Saotome saw his target destination come into sight.

After passing over a few more homes, Ranma jumped down and sprung off the top of a wall, finally landing in the vacant lot he'd used for battles numerous times before. The heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts made sure he was a good distance away from the wall and then spun around, kicking up the dirt beneath his feet as he skid to a halt.

"All right, where are ya?" he said under his breath.

Ranma felt he needed to be prepared to intercept an attack from any direction. He looked from side to side, in front and in back of himself, but wasn't able to spot anything as of yet. It was only when his ears picked up on an unusual sound that he realized he wasn't looking in the right direction at all.

"UP!"

Twisting downward from the skies above, a fiercely spiraling object entered Ranma's field of vision and slammed down into the earth. The incredible force of the impact sent a cloud of dirt and rocks into the air that circled the object like a tornado and forced Ranma to shield himself with his forearms to keep any of it from getting in his eyes.

Gradually, the object's circular motion slowed and the debris fell back down to the ground. Once the dust had settled, Ranma lowered his arms to get a better look at his visitor.

"Hey, you're...!"

Immediately recognizing his noisy guest, Ranma couldn't hide his excitement. He'd been waiting for this moment for months. Slamming his right fist into his other palm, he shot the familiar person an elated grin.

"Sure kept me waitin' long enough, ya jerk!"

There, at the center of the point of impact, a man in a dark green military uniform was crouched down near the ground. His dirty blonde hair obstructing his face and his brown-feathered falcon perched atop his shoulder, he pushed himself up to a standing position and returned the excited expression of the martial artist standing in front of him. Months after his initial challenge that was unceremoniously cut short, he had finally returned to finish what he'd started.

He was the now former member of the Chinese military, Codename: Jukai.

"I told you I'd be back, Pigtail..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 11**


	37. QoE: It's About Time

**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme****  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Within a vacant lot in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, a heavy atmosphere of anticipation and excitement arose as two battle-tested warriors stared each other down.

Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, hadn't seen what he would consider serious competition in months. Though he'd been training hard with his father and Shampoo in that time, the absence of Ryouga, Mousse, and Tatewaki Kuno had left a void in his real battle experience. He had long been preparing for his opponent's eventual return based on what little he'd seen of him during his first visit, however, and his eagerness for this confrontation couldn't be higher.

Jukai, former Commander of the Viper Team of the Chinese military's special operations unit, was fresh off the heels of a losing fight against an unknown entity suspected of being the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo. While he wished to rectify that loss above all else, a grim medical diagnosis and subsequent dismissal from his military duties had altered his agenda, bringing him back to Japan sooner than he'd planned. He had been looking forward to this battle as well, but not for the conflict itself. Rather, what Jukai wanted, what he _needed_, was a certain item he believed he would obtain through a victory over Ranma.

It was a clash of nationalities, attitudes, and styles that wouldn't be derailed any longer. It was time for Ranma and Jukai to collide.

Ranma was as cocky as ever as he smirked in the direction of his adversary. "It's been so long I was startin' to think that punch I gave ya back then made ya change your mind."

"Were you just thinking that, or were you actually hoping for it?" Jukai returned the barb. "Sorry if you missed me, but duty just kept on calling...until now."

"That so? Looks like you've been on a diet, too. I remember you havin' more meat on ya than that," Ranma said.

Sick of hearing about his obvious decrease in weight, the expression on Jukai's face quickly became one of annoyance. "Shut the hell up! I don't got the time to talk about crap like that. You know what I'm here for."

As talkative as Jukai was during his initial visit, it was hard for Ranma not to remember what it was he desired. "Hate to tell ya, but I still ain't got that scythe," Ranma said, speaking of the cursed weapon, Yanlou. "Dunno where the thing is, but you're lookin' in the wrong place, pal."

"No, even if it's not here physically, you've still got it," Jukai remained unwavering in his claim. "This isn't like the last time, Pigtail. Situation's changed. Time isn't on my side anymore, so I'm not gonna play nice. I need that scythe and I'm taking you down to get it!"

Fired up by the threatening words, Ranma cracked his knuckles, readying for the inevitable clash. "I never expected ya to go easy. You think I got that scythe? Then come and get it, jerk!"

The man in the dark green uniform was all too happy to oblige. His falcon perched and ready atop his shoulder, Jukai crouched down near the ground and placed his left palm against the grass.

"Then, one more time...and for the last time...let's play, Pigtail!"

A cloud of dirt shot up into the air as Jukai became a spinning blur that immediately advanced toward Ranma.

"_So he's spinnin' around again after all,_" Ranma thought. He'd wondered about Jukai's spinning ever since their first encounter outside the Cat Café restaurant. It now appeared that it was a regular part of Jukai's style. "_He moves pretty quick, but he ain't faster than me. And I know how to stop him, too!_"

Ranma focused his eyes on the approaching vortex. As he and Genma had discussed during their trip to the mountains, a properly-timed attack was all that was needed to bring Jukai's twirling to an end.

"That's right, come on," Ranma mumbled. "Now!"

With Jukai in striking range, Ranma swung his foot at the ex-soldier's lower back, a spot that Ranma believed would be unguarded.

"Gotch-...huh?"

Ranma was dumbfounded as his kick was easily deflected and his foot knocked to the side. "What the-?"

Seizing his opportunity, Jukai smashed his steel-toed boot into the off-balance Ranma's face and sent him swirling backward through the air. Ranma wasn't shaken up too badly and he managed to land on his feet, but he was at a loss at to how his plan didn't work.

"_There's no way I missed! What the heck happened?_" Ranma wondered to himself.

Still maintaining his rapid spinning motion, Jukai closed in on Ranma again.

"_Let's try this one more time..._" Ranma thought.

Ranma wasn't going to miss this time. With his eyes again locked on Jukai, he waited for just the right moment and threw a vicious kick with his other foot this time. Much to the pigtailed boy's chagrin, the result was the same.

"What?" Ranma said as his foot was again knocked away.

Jukai slammed his fist into the bridge of Ranma's nose with enough force to lift him off the ground once more. Ranma flew five feet backwards before he dug his shoes into the dirt to halt his momentum. That last hit was hard enough that Ranma felt lucky his nose hadn't broken.

"_Damn, that one hurt! What's goin' on here?_" Ranma wondered as a small amount of blood trickled from his left nostril.

There wouldn't be any recuperation time for Ranma, either. As soon as he stopped, he saw something soaring straight for his head. It was Jukai's falcon.

"The bird?" Ranma mouthed. He wasn't sure what the falcon was up to, but it was moving in extremely fast and was already too close to attack.

Deciding to play it safe, Ranma hopped to his left to avoid the winged creature. He didn't avoid it completely though. As soon as the falcon flew by, a shallow cut opened up on Ranma's cheek.

"_Crap! Did its wing just cut me?_" Ranma thought with frustration.

With Ranma distracted, Jukai had closed in again. Jukai's spinning had stopped for the moment as he threw a right cross aimed at his adversary's chin. Ranma caught wind of the attack in time though and threw up his arms to block the blow.

"What's wrong, Pigtail? Let's go!" Jukai grinned maniacally, unloading on Ranma with a series of sharp attacks.

After failing to connect with Jukai while he was spinning around, Ranma was appreciating the opportunity to fight him normally. He used his speedy limbs to return some offense of his own and forced Jukai to focus more on guarding himself instead of attacking. Even with the tide starting to turn back in his favor, however, Ranma still was plagued by the mystery of how his kicks were nullified before.

"_He shouldn't have been able to block me! How the heck did this guy do it?_" Ranma posed the question in his mind.

It was then that Ranma felt a sharp pain in his back all of a sudden. Clenching his teeth to cope with it, he noticed Jukai's falcon flying out from behind him. The bird had sliced through his shirt and left a deep gash on the upper right side of his back.

This was all going according to Jukai's plan, and he was already prepared to capitalize. He threw two punches that Ranma managed to block, but his following kick struck Ranma directly in his chest and sent him tumbling backward yet again. Jukai's falcon perched itself back atop its master's shoulder now that its task was complete.

"Was this all you had? I'm not impressed, Pigtail!" Jukai taunted the martial artist.

Ranma angrily stood up and stomped his feet into the earth as a blood stain began to grow around the cut on his shirt. "That's it! I'm gonna shut your stupid mouth!"

Starting to lose his cool, Ranma darted in close to Jukai, who spun himself into a vortex again.

"Block this!" Ranma growled. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

The pigtailed boy's flurry of fists bombarded the spinning Jukai. Though Ranma was clearly upset, he hadn't abandoned reason. The point of this attack wasn't just to hurt Jukai. It also served as an experiment.

Of all the punches Ranma threw, not a single one appeared to be doing any damage as the vortex knocked all of them away. In fact, the attack seemed to be having the opposite effect as it was Ranma who began grimacing in pain.

"_It's like hittin' a bed of nails!_" Ranma thought to himself.

Thinking better of letting his fists be damaged any further, Ranma pulled back and took a quick glance at his hands. There were spots of blood from fresh wounds all over them. That momentary lapse in attention would again come back to haunt Ranma as Jukai moved in and booted him in the chest again, this time sending him flying back into a retaining wall. Cracks spread throughout the wall from the point of impact as Ranma slid down and dropped to a knee.

"You're so WEAK!" Jukai shouted at him.

Ready to pound Ranma out of consciousness, Jukai quickly advanced toward his kneeling adversary and threw a heavy punch right toward his temple. Ranma was still far from out of it though. Seeing the attack coming, he leaped upward and onto the top of the wall as Jukai's fist smashed into it below. Chunks of concrete fell to the ground as Jukai looked up to see what Ranma's next move was. That move would turn out to be something he wasn't expecting.

Rather than engage Jukai again, Ranma jumped over to the other side of the wall and took off running. It was time to create some distance and devise a strategy.

"Get back here, you coward!" Jukai bellowed as he ran after him.

Ranma paid no mind to the insult. Winning through use of cowardly tactics as opposed to losing by being prideful was what the Anything-Goes School was all about. Losing despite using such methods only made the loss hurt that much more though, so Ranma needed to make the best of his break.

"Man, this is pathetic! I'm gettin' torn up!" Ranma said angrily. "This guy's defense is as good as Kirin or Li, but it shouldn't be! There's gotta be some trick he's usin'."

As he looked back over his shoulder to see how much distance he had on Jukai, Ranma noticed the falcon had left its perch and was now speeding toward him again. Ranma had some room to work with this time though. Intent on taking out the bird, he came to an abrupt halt and threw an upward kick at it. The falcon showed it was well-trained though. It flawlessly adjusted its flight path to narrowly avoid Ranma's foot and soared higher into the air to make another pass.

"Little rat," Ranma muttered.

With Ranma temporarily stopped, Jukai was able to make up ground on him and was back to using his spinning method as he reached his opponent. Ranma threw his arms up as Jukai hit him with another vicious kick. The blow was blocked, but it knocked Ranma back and off his feet. As soon as he landed, Ranma resumed running again. Jukai and his falcon both continued to give chase.

"I can't keep runnin' forever," Ranma said, looking down at the wounds on his fists. "Think, moron! How'd he do it?"

Starting to near an area with more people and businesses, Ranma inspected his wounds closely, then glanced back at the shaggy-haired man and falcon coming after him.

"_Wait...that's it!_" he thought.

Ranma immediately stopped, turned around, and took up a fighting stance. He had an idea.

"Finally ready, huh?" Jukai smirked. With his falcon flying in front of him, he began to spin again in anticipation of the clash with Ranma.

"That's right. Come on..." Ranma said under his breath. Timing would be key for his plan. Once the falcon was close enough, Ranma charged forward to confront it. "You're first, bird!"

Ranma reached back to unleash a punch on the falcon, but then suddenly dropped down and let it fly over his head. "Not!"

The true target wasn't the falcon at all. Rather, it was the twirling vortex behind it. Now that Jukai was within range, Ranma sprang off the ground and put all of his weight into one solid kick.

"Augh!" Jukai cried out.

The ex-soldier was stopped dead in his tracks as Ranma's foot slammed into his lower back.

"Yes!" Ranma shouted. His hypothesis was right, and he wasn't going to let this chance slip by.

Stunned by the damaging blow, Jukai took a knee to his gut followed by a kick to the right side of his head that sent him crashing into the side of a flower shop as Ranma followed up with more offense.

"Let's see how ya like this!" Ranma boasted as a yellow mass of chi grew in his palms. "Moko Takabisha!"

Jukai's eyes widened as the chi blast collided with him, almost entirely destroying the wall of the building in the process. A cloud of dust from the crumbled wall immersed the nearby area.

Ranma knew he'd landed a direct hit, but he needed to keep up the attack to put Jukai away. Without hesitation, he leaped into the cloud of dust and was about to stomp down on the spot where Jukai should have been when a hand grabbed hold of his ankle all of a sudden and flung him away. Once Ranma landed, he spun around to face the cloud as it began to clear. Within it, a heavily-breathing Jukai soon became visible. His jacket was torn up and he was none too happy, but Jukai was standing nonetheless.

The falcon returned to Jukai's shoulder as he and Ranma locked eyes with one another.

"So I was right. It was that bird that kept blockin' me before," Ranma said. "That's why ya keep it on your shoulder when you're spinnin' around like that."

"Not bad. Most everyone I face dies before they ever figure that out," Jukai told him. "But now that you know...I won't give you any more opportunities."

Jukai spun himself into a vortex once again, but this time was different. Ranma watched as Jukai seemed to multiply into three of himself. Two more additional clones then appeared from the others. Now totaling five, the spinning vortices quickly surrounded Ranma and began circling him.

"This...this is the old hag's trick!" Ranma said, remembering well the time when Cologne had used a similar technique against him. This time a leg of chicken probably wasn't going to be the answer. "He's got the bird, too. This might get rough."

All at once the vortices converged on Ranma. He did his best to defend against the assault, but the attacks were large in quantity and coming in fast. Ranma took a shot to his left side that made him cringe, then one to his upper back where the falcon had cut him earlier. Realizing he needed to get out of there, Ranma hopped upward and used his feet to spring off of one of the vortices and propel himself outside of their entrapment. Jukai and his clones came after Ranma in a hurry, but the pigtailed boy started dashing down the road before they could encircle him again.

"No way I'm dealin' with that! Gotta think of a way to stop him," Ranma said.

The two warriors were beginning to encounter more bystanders, and Ranma could hear the expressions of surprise from people as Jukai's vortices swirled passed them. He was in the middle of trying to come up with a counterattack when he spotted something intriguing. Coming up with a plan on the fly, Ranma skidded to a stop and took a sharp right turn down a narrow alley. He looked back as he continued to run and, as he thought might happen, only one vortex followed him.

"_Hah! Too small a space for all of 'em to be useful!_" Ranma thought, proud of his decision. "_He'll probably multiply again as soon as we're outta this alley, so I gotta get him now. Even if it's back to just one of him, he's still got the bird though. I gotta think of somethin' to split 'em up or I ain't gonna be able to hit him._"

"There's no hope, Pigtail!" Jukai yelled as he barreled toward his foe.

Just ahead of where the alley ended, Ranma could see a large fountain that he'd passed by on occasion. The closer it got, the more urgent it became for Ranma to make a move. He would have to try something off the top of his head and hope for the best.

Ranma ran for eight more steps and then turned around and started running back toward Jukai.

"That's it! Come try it!" the spinning Jukai urged him.

"You're gonna wish I hadn't!" Ranma shouted back.

Jukai couldn't imagine what Ranma was thinking. He was practically salivating as the martial artist charged toward certain doom, but then, out of nowhere, Ranma vanished before his very eyes.

"What?" Jukai uttered.

As he soon noticed, Ranma wasn't gone at all. He was right at Jukai's feet.

"See ya!" Ranma grinned.

Ranma had planted a base point for his Shift technique while running moments ago, and he had now used it to catch his opponent off-guard by getting right up next to Jukai before he could prepare for it. Ranma used a baseball slide and connected with Jukai's feet, tripping him and sending him spiraling forward uncontrollably. The falcon abandoned its perch and went off on its own while Jukai went flying right into the fountain, causing water to splash everywhere.

One of the things Ranma had worked on tediously since returning from China was making his Shift technique more practical for use during battle. Thanks to his training since then, the move no longer took as much energy out of him as it originally did. He could now follow up more strongly after using the technique and could use it more often when the situation called for it.

This was an ideal chance for Ranma. Ready to capitalize, he hurried over to the edge of the fountain to try to finish Jukai off. What he saw when he got there, however, was baffling.

"Wh-what the...?" Ranma stammered.

Jukai's military uniform was floating atop the shallow pool of water, but Jukai himself was nowhere to be found. Ranma reached down to lift the jacket out of the cold water, careful not to trigger his Jusenkyo curse.

"If his clothes are here, then that means-"

In an instant, everything became clear. A large python with a black pair of boxer shorts wrapped around it shot out from underneath the floating jacket, coiled half of its body around Ranma's throat, and dragged the martial artist into the fountain.

Ranma, now in girl form, burst out of the water as she tried to pry the snake away from her neck.

"_This guy had a Jusenkyo curse, too!_" Ranma thought. "_I-...I can't breathe!_"

Jukai looked as pleased as a snake could be as he tightened his grip around the girl's wind pipes. Pythons were notorious for killing humans in this way. They were simply too strong to be removed once they'd locked on their grip. Ranma's girl form didn't have the strength that her male form had, and right now she was becoming very aware of the fact that she wasn't going to be able to pry the snake away with her bare hands. And that wasn't the only problem. Jukai was also crushing down on the jade necklace around Ranma's neck. If that were to somehow be damaged, the spirits from Yanlou that had entered Ranma's body weren't going to be contained any longer.

Knowing she needed to do something before she passed out from lack of oxygen, Ranma frantically ran down the street looking for something that might help.

As they watched the scene unfold, several onlookers were horrified at the sight of the girl being choked to death by the massive animal.

"_H-hey! That girl's being attacked by a huge snake!_"

"_Someone help her!_"

"_Miss! Please stop running!_"

Already starting to feel weak, Ranma was considering stopping and leaving it to the bystanders to muscle Jukai loose until she spotted a public bath up ahead. Ranma knew she didn't have much time left. She rushed through the entrance of the bath, straight into the men's changing area, and then into the bathing area.

"Hey! That entrance is for the men's bath! And you need to pay first!" the bath's attendant shouted, but was completely ignored.

Surrounded by older, unclothed men expressing their shock at what they were seeing, Ranma used what strength and awareness she had left to dive into one of the larger hot water baths.

His transformation back into male form triggered by the heated water, Ranma emerged from the bath and took a huge breath. Never before had he been so grateful for air. As Ranma grabbed his throat and tried to control the coughing fit that followed, his opponent made his presence felt again. Wearing only the black boxer shorts that had remained with him, Jukai rose from the water in his human form and threw his bare foot into Ranma's gut. The impact of the blow sent Ranma crashing through a wall and into another area of the bath where a mass of high-pitched screams arose.

"Hah! I never knew you had a curse, too!" Jukai smirked. "Too bad yours worked against you!"

As Jukai stepped through the hole in the wall, Ranma struggled to his feet and checked his necklace to make sure it was still intact. It appeared to be undamaged.

"A python, huh? It...*cough*...it suits ya," Ranma said.

"Doesn't it?" Jukai coldly chuckled. "Come on! Let's-!"

*_thunk!_*

Jukai's head was knocked to its side as a bucket flew through the air and struck him dead-on. "Ow! Who did tha-...huh?"

As Ranma and Jukai both noticed, there were numerous women around holding towels up to cover themselves. To say they weren't pleased with the pair would have been an understatement.

"Perverts!" one of the older women screamed.

The loud cry triggered a barrage of buckets, bars of soap, and various bottles to be sent flying at the two warriors.

"Hey, wait! This ain't what it-oww!" Ranma tried to explain himself, but was struck in the face by a bottle of conditioner.

"Dammit, knock it off! Oww! Ouch! You crazy-...owww!" Jukai groaned as a a bar of soap hit him in the ear.

Ranma and Jukai shared a mutual look followed by each of them nodding at the other. It was a silent agreement to get the hell out of this spot and resume their battle outside. The two of them braved the shower of bathing instruments and screaming women through both the bathing area and then the changing area until finally they ran past the attendant and exited the business.

"That's the wrong side, you idiots! And you both forgot to pay! Get back here!" the attendant tried to get their attention. She had no better luck than she did with Ranma earlier.

Back on the street, Ranma and Jukai were both panting after their painful bathhouse experience. Jukai was getting a number of stares as he was still wearing nothing but boxers and the seemingly countless scars all over his body.

"You moron! What'd you knock me to the girl's side for?" Ranma snarled at him.

"Shut the hell up! How was I supposed to know?" Jukai hissed back.

Something then caught Ranma's eye. Above Jukai's head, his falcon had returned and was preparing to land back on his shoulder.

"No ya don't!" Ranma yelled.

Ranma quickly gathered some rocks from the ground and tossed them at the bird, striking it cleanly in its chest with one of them. Deterred from its plan, the falcon backed away from the battle scene, but not before dropping something that it held in its talons. What appeared to be a weapon fell right down into Jukai's grasp. Looking to be appreciative of the gift, he grabbed it by its handle and snapped it outward, causing the blade's leather sheath to fly off.

"Nice timing, buddy," Jukai complimented his falcon.

The blade of a finely-crafted combat knife glimmered in the sun, and Ranma now had something entirely new to deal with. "Gotta bring somethin' like that into this, huh?" he grumbled.

"Don't mistake a soldier for some honorable martial artist," Jukai said to him. "I'll do what it takes to win. That's all there is to it!"

Bystanders kept their distance as Jukai moved in and began slashing at Ranma with the knife. Jukai went after his prey relentlessly. While any hit would undoubtedly be damaging, however, thus far it was nothing that the speedy Ranma couldn't dodge. In fact, Ranma was beginning to pick up on something; Jukai was slowing down.

"_What's goin' on here? Is he tryin' to lure me in for something?_" Ranma wondered. He didn't believe he'd done enough damage to Jukai to cause this yet. "_Whatever it is, I ain't fallin' for it!_"

Ranma had broken blades with his bare hands during past battles with Mousse, but Jukai had a much better sense of tact from his military background that forced Ranma to exercise more caution. Leaving his hands open within range of the knife wasn't something he felt like doing if he had other options. Luckily for Ranma, he did have another option, and it was one that he planned on using.

While Jukai continued to slash away, Ranma feigned trying to find an opening to attack the half-naked man.

"You're pretty quick, but you can't keep that up for long!" Jukai warned his adversary.

With his strategy of evasion, Ranma was slowly luring Jukai in a spiral pattern. Anyone who was familiar with Ranma's attacks would have known what he was planning, but Jukai wasn't privy to that information. He had no idea what was waiting for him once he reached the center of the spiral.

"That's it! Keep dancing around, you pest!" Jukai taunted Ranma.

As Jukai took another swing, Ranma ducked down near the ground. "Don't need to anymore," he smirked. "It's over, jerk! Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

Jukai's face lit up with surprise as he felt the ground shaking beneath him. Before he knew it, he was thrown up into the sky in the middle of a cold, twirling vortex of wind brought about by Ranma's attack.

While everyone looking on shielded themselves from the violent wind, Ranma stared up at his work with satisfaction.

"He never saw it comin'! Tough luck, Jukai," Ranma puffed his chest out. "Well, that oughtta do-...wait, what the heck is that?"

Far up in the sky, something appeared to be flying around above the top of the twister that Ranma had created. Careful to avoid getting caught in it, the flying entity began to dive closer to the ground. Once it was close enough to make out, Ranma couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" he said in disbelief.

Cruising through the air above Ranma was none other than Jukai sitting atop a ridiculously large bird that bore a striking resemblance to his falcon.

"Too bad, Pigtail! Take a good luck at my buddy's true form!" Jukai laughed heinously.

Ranma wasn't expecting this. Jukai's bird was obviously much more than your run-of-the-mill falcon. With it being able to change shape like this and help Jukai escape the winds of the tornado, Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha was going to be useless, he realized.

"Now...it's time to finish this!" Jukai shouted.

Still hovering far above his opponent, Jukai began dumping some objects down from his falcon. Those objects, Ranma quickly noticed, were grenades.

"Oh, crap! Get outta here! They're gonna blow!" Ranma yelled out to the bystanders. Everyone screamed in panic as they started to run for cover.

The grenades exploded as soon as they hit the ground, tearing up the road and sending chunks of concrete flying everywhere. Ranma was darting away as fast as he possibly could, but Jukai followed from the air and kept dropping grenades along the way. "Run, Pigtail, run!" Jukai mocked his foe.

Even worse for Ranma, his Shift technique was something that took advantage of opponents on the ground. With Jukai up in the air like this, its use was lessened dramatically.

"Usin' grenades with all these people around...he's crazy!" Ranma fumed as an explosion behind him sent some concrete chunks flying by his head. "Huh? Now what's he doin'?"

As Ranma noticed, Jukai had descended close to the ground behind him. Ranma wasn't sure what he was up to, but now was an opportune time to attack while Jukai and his falcon were within range.

"Get ready, Pigtail," Jukai grinned as he grabbed onto the back of his bird tightly. "Let's go, buddy! Drill a hole in him!"

Jukai and his falcon began spinning in the air just as Jukai was doing earlier, only this time they were in a horizontal position. Not wanting to allow them to get out of reach again, Ranma stopped running and readied himself to take them on.

"Big mistake comin' down here again, pal," Ranma said confidently as a mass of chi grew in his hands. "You're gonna crash and burn! Moko Taka-aah!"

The spinning falcon and its master gained a sudden burst of incredible speed that sent them flying into Ranma so fast that he couldn't finish his attack. The falcon's beak, acting as a drill, tore through Ranma's Moko Takabisha and then into the left side of his abdomen, knocking him violently into a nearby fruit stand. With apples and all sorts of fruit falling all around him, Ranma grabbed his side in horrible pain as blood poured from his wound.

"Agh...ahh! Damn...he...!" Ranma groaned, trying to fight off the agony.

"Too fast for ya?" Jukai cackled from above as he and his falcon took to the sky again. "Don't expect any mercy!"

Jukai was again descending and Ranma knew it was only a matter of time before another one of those drill attacks would come.

"Ugh! Gotta...move...!" Ranma told himself.

By the time Ranma got up to one knee, Jukai and his falcon were already spinning again. Ranma desperately threw himself out of the way just as the deadly duo came in like a lightning bolt once more. What was left of the fruit stand was demolished and its contents pelted the area as Ranma fell hard against the street.

The hands that Ranma had kept pressed on his abdomen were now covered in blood. "Man...this ain't good," he mumbled.

"Fire in the hole!" Jukai jokingly called out from the sky.

Ranma looked up only to see another grenade falling right toward him. He hurried to his feet and staggered away from where he was, but couldn't get away fast enough with his wound. The ensuing blast was close enough that it blew him twenty feet down the street. Ranma collided with the pavement again and rolled half a dozen times before finally coming to a stop.

"Oww," Ranma grit his teeth as he pushed himself up off the ground. "I can't keep goin' like this. I either gotta stop the bleeding...or take him out now. But...how?"

The one grenade seemed to be all Jukai planned on using for now. He was again looking to prepare to drill through his opponent with his bird.

As he watched Jukai and the falcon get near the ground, Ranma managed to stand himself up. He let go of his wound and let his hands rest at his sides as he took a deep breath to focus himself.

"You've got some balls, Pigtail!" Jukai complimented Ranma. "Too bad they're gonna get you killed!"

Ranma remained unmoving while Jukai and his falcon began to spin. The deadly duo shot forward again with amazing speed and this time made clean contact with the pigtailed martial artist. Once the spinning stopped and his falcon flew back up into the sky, Jukai looked down to see what had become of their foe.

"Hmm? Where'd he go?" Jukai said. "Did we drill him into little pieces?"

Jukai nearly lost his balance as his falcon then began flying erratically from side to side.

"Hey! What gives?" Jukai complained.

"_Maybe it don't like me comin' along for the ride!_"

Hearing a voice from nearby, Jukai peeked over the side of his bird and saw Ranma smiling up at him. Ranma had latched onto the falcon's belly as it passed by and was now holding on with two handfuls of bird skin and feathers.

"Bastard! How the hell did you-...get offa my bird!" Jukai snarled as he kicked downward several times.

Ranma was holding on in such a position that Jukai's foot just couldn't reach him.

"Dammit! Come on, buddy, we'll throw him off with our special move!" Jukai instructed his falcon.

Hearing the command, the falcon and its master began spinning rapidly high above the ground. Underneath the bird, Ranma was threatened with the reality of being thrown off by the centrifugal force.

"I ain't lettin' go!" Ranma exclaimed with determination.

"The hell you ain't!" Jukai hissed back at him. "Keep it up, buddy!"

Rather than keeping its pattern of flying parallel with the ground, the falcon turned upward and then began diving back down toward the earth while still violently rotating.

"How 'bout it, Pigtail? How long can you take it?" Jukai taunted his unwanted passenger.

Though he was just about at his limit, Ranma allowed a sly smile to cross his face. "Dunno, but I don't gotta worry about it anymore!" he declared.

Jukai was taken aback as Ranma voluntarily let go of the falcon. Ranma now found himself hanging in the air above his opponent as the falcon continued downward at a greater speed.

"Thanks for the aura, pal!" Ranma smirked. Because of the downward spiraling motion of Jukai and the falcon, their combined battle aura and Ranma's cold aura had entwined in a spiral in the air. "If I can't send ya up, I guess I'll just send ya down!"

"What?" Jukai mouthed from below.

Reaching back, Ranma threw his fist downward and felt an incredible power explode from it. "Hiryu Shoten Ha: Downward Spiral!"

Jukai's face paled as he saw the vortex of wind about to engulf him. "Wha-...oh sh-!"

The altered Hiryu Shoten Ha caught Jukai and his falcon and slammed them down into the street below, the impact creating a large crater in the pavement. The signs of nearby business were ripped away from where they sat and passersby ducked indoors to take cover from the swirling winds.

After falling from the sky, Ranma landed on the canopy of one of the businesses and slid off of it before landing gingerly on the ground. The damage he'd taken thus far and the magnitude of his last attack had him feeling dizzy though. Ranma stumbled forward looking as if he were about to fall over, but someone caught him before he had the chance.

With Ranma's right arm draped over her shoulder, a girl glanced over at him and smiled.

"Shampoo?" Ranma said hazily.

"Nihao," Shampoo greeted him. "That one big fight."

"You were watchin', huh?" Ranma asked her.

Shampoo nodded her head. "Is no hard figure out what Ranma do when leave restaurant so sudden," she told him. "Shampoo keep promise from long time ago, too. Ranma remember?"

"Promise?"

"Ranma ask Shampoo let you fight when that man show up before, yes? So Shampoo only watch. No get involved."

The pigtailed boy quietly chuckled to himself. "Yeah, thanks for that. But...I ain't sure he's finished yet."

As the winds from Ranma's attack died down, he and Shampoo stared at the edge of the crater where Jukai had collided with the ground. As of yet, there was no sign of movement.

"Silly Ranma, he no get up from that one," Shampoo said.

But Shampoo was wrong. No sooner had she finished her sentence that a hand appeared from the crater and gripped the concrete.

"You is kidding!" Shampoo's jaw dropped.

His dirty blonde hair disheveled and his body covered in dirt and dust, Jukai painstakingly muscled his body out of the crater. Staggering to his feet, he slowly raised his head and shot Ranma a look that could kill.

Ranma looked surprisingly excited as he pulled away from Shampoo and propped himself up. "Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be enough to put you down, would it?" he grinned. "C'mon, Jukai! Time to-"

Just then, Jukai abruptly leaned forward and coughed up a huge amount of blood. Ranma and Shampoo stood in stunned silence as the ex-soldier wilted and collapsed face first onto the pavement.

At first Ranma expected Jukai to pop right back up, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't going to happen. Holding the still bleeding wound on his abdomen tightly, Ranma walked over to where Jukai lay and looked down at him while Shampoo stayed back. "H-hey..."

With his head now laying on the ground sideways in a puddle of his own blood, Jukai weakly looked up at his opponent. "You win, Pigtail," he managed to say, his voice barely audible. "I guess...I'll leave it to you."

"Leave what to me? What's goin' on?" Ranma asked him.

"You'll find out...soon enough," Jukai told him. "Now...get out of here."

Ranma didn't much like the vague answer, but there was a more pressing concern for him. He'd never seen someone cough up blood like Jukai just had. He didn't like Jukai one bit, but he didn't want to just leave him laying there either. "You're messed up bad, man. You need some help."

"Don't you touch me!" Jukai hissed venomously. "I don't want your pity. Get lost."

Though he didn't feel great about it, Ranma knew how important a warrior's pride was. He was going to honor Jukai's wishes.

With his battle at an end, Ranma turned around and stumbled back to his girlfriend. "Come on, Shampoo. Let's go home."

Shampoo grabbed Ranma's arm and put it around her shoulder again to help him walk. "Ranma sure is okay leave that one?"

"It's what he wants, Shampoo. I ain't...gonna go against it," Ranma told her, grimacing again as he held his side. "That stupid moron. He came here to fight me even though he was..."

Once Ranma and Shampoo disappeared down the road, Jukai managed the strength to roll himself back down into the crater. He fell and hit the dirt hard, landing right next to his unconscious falcon, which had reverted back to its smaller form. Barely hanging onto consciousness himself, Jukai moved his hand over to his bird and lightly brushed his fingers against the creature's feathers.

"Looks like...I lost again, buddy. That's...twice in a row now," he said.

Jukai could hear a crowd starting to gather up above. Slowly, he let his eyes close and exhaled.

"They say bad things...come in threes. Let's...prove 'em...wrong..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 12**


	38. QoE: Danger in China

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme**_**  
by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

*_clang!*_

_*crash!*_

Deep within the Kuno Estate, Ringo Saotome, wearing the clothes she always used for physical education classes at Furinkan High, was crumpled forward and holding the back of her head as a ribbon dangled from her hand. There was a new crack in the wall of Kodachi's training dungeon after the gymnast's second had been sent flying into it forcefully.

"Would you mind telling me what that was supposed to be, Ringo?" the shrill voice of Kodachi Kuno chided the fallen girl.

Still groaning from the blow, Ringo slowly raised her head. "S-sorry, Kodachi," she apologized. "I just-"

"You were not paying attention!" the Black Rose accused her. "Need I remind you that we are training for the most important gymnastics match of my life? Need I?"

"No, I know," Ringo replied. She knew very well just how much the upcoming chance for revenge against Kiriko Nakajima meant to Kodachi. "I guess I'm just still worried about Ranma."

Kodachi gave the red-haired girl a disapproving look. "And for what reason would that be?"

"I told you, he got hurt this afternoon!" Ringo reminded her.

"What of it?" Kodachi asked, not sounding concerned in the least about the condition of her former love interest. "Ranma's taste in women may be absolutely atrocious, but his strength and toughness cannot be denied. There is no need whatsoever to waste your time worrying about that man. Do you understand?"

"I-...I know that. He even told me not to worry before I came here," Ringo admitted.

"Well there you are," Kodachi put an end to the conversation. "Now stand up and let us continue!"

Dealing with Kodachi could be exhausting at times, but Ringo had to agree that she made a good point. Ranma wasn't someone that needed, or frankly wanted, concern from others.

Ringo got back to her feet and put her worries aside for the time being. Right now she had a responsibility as Kodachi's second to attend to. Everything else would have to wait at least until tonight's training session was finished.

* * *

Inside the mostly empty Cat Café restaurant, a lone, shirtless man sat with his legs up on a table in the dining area. With the restaurant's hours of operation having ended for the night, Ranma Saotome was getting a chance to think to himself in peace. He had 21 fresh stitches in his side from the damage done by the beak of Jukai's falcon earlier in the day. Bandages had been placed over other lacerations on his back and cheek and he also had an ugly bruise on his chest, but all in all the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts had been in worse shape following past battles.

Ranma had stuffed himself full of Shampoo's cooking once they'd returned from the hospital, but even that didn't do much to brighten up his outlook. Though he defeated Jukai in their battle, something about the contest had left a bad taste in his mouth.

Hearing the sound of light footsteps approaching, Ranma soon found himself joined by Shampoo, who pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

"Ranma no look happy for one that win battle," Shampoo pointed out.

The pigtailed martial artist shook his head. "It shouldn't have been that easy, Shampoo," Ranma suggested. "That guy...somethin' wasn't right with him. There's no way he was a hundred percent."

"Ranma think so?"

"You were watchin', weren't ya? Didn't ya see how thin he was? And he wasn't movin' as fast as he did that first time he showed up here. And then once we got outta that bathhouse he got even slower. Ain't no way he'd get winded that quick! And on top of all that, he coughs up that blood?"

Shampoo wasn't able to pick up on some of these things from the distance she watched the battle at, but she could see what Ranma was saying.

"Then he just gives in and says that I won like that..." Ranma continued. "Maybe he didn't plan on winnin' at all. Maybe he was just keepin' his word that he'd come back, even though he was..."

"No can do anything about that," Shampoo said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know," Ranma quietly admitted. "That don't mean I can't be ticked about it though. Stubborn jerk. And what the heck did he mean by, 'I'll leave it to you?'"

Before Ranma could discuss Jukai's cryptic message any further, he and Shampoo heard the door to the restaurant slide open. A familiar girl with a spatula strapped to her back peeked inside, then put her hand over her mouth as she took in the condition of her childhood friend.

"Ran-chan!" Ukyou gasped from the doorway. "So it really was you!"

"Oh. Heya, Ucchan," Ranma halfheartedly greeted her.

Shampoo wasn't sure how Ukyou would act after their last volatile meeting, but for the moment the okonomiyaki chef seemed content with ignoring Shampoo and keeping her focus on Ranma.

"I heard about the damage nearby and some of my customers were saying it was you and some other guy that did it," Ukyou explained as she walked up to the table where Ranma and Shampoo sat. "I guess they were right. You look awful, Sugar."

"It's no big deal. Ain't half as bad as it looks," Ranma downplayed his injuries.

"Well that's good," Ukyou sounded relieved. "You sure tore up some of the businesses around here though."

"I couldn't help it, Ucchan. I tried to stay away from there, but things just...y'know...happened that way," Ranma snorted.

"Ranma always get lost in fight. No think about everything cause damage to," Shampoo giggled.

"Now that's the pot callin' the kettle black," Ranma retorted, a point which Shampoo didn't deny as she continued to laugh.

Ukyou found little amusement in the Amazon girl's words. Still irked by the challenge she'd had rejected the last time she came to the restaurant, the young cook now set her sights on Shampoo.

"At least Ran-chan has the backbone to accept challenges, you gutless bimbo," Ukyou brazenly insulted her rival.

Shampoo's demeanor took a quick turn for the worse. Incensed by the comment, she shot to her feet and was shaking in anger as her chair fell back against the floor.

"H-hey..." Ranma looked back and forth between the girls, suddenly finding himself in a very unfriendly environment.

"What? You got a problem with what I said?" Ukyou gave Shampoo an intense look. "Why not prove me wrong?"

The glare Shampoo was giving Ukyou made even Ranma worry for his old friend. Shampoo wanted to prove Ukyou wrong in the worst way. She still had her reasons for not doing so, however, and she wasn't going to allow herself to be goaded into this battle.

"Shampoo think is best let Ukyou and Ranma talk alone," Shampoo finally said. Keeping her anger in check, she immediately turned around and walked out of the dining area.

Ranma grimaced from his chair as he watched Shampoo leave. He could only imagine the pain and suffering that was about to be inflicted upon some inanimate object at the hands of his girlfriend.

"Jeez, Ucchan. Ain't this goin' a bit too far?" Ranma questioned her.

"Ran-chan," Ukyou looked down at him, "...you're my best friend and all, but stay out of this. You just wouldn't understand."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ranma grumbled as the okonomiyaki chef walked away.

Once Ukyou reached the door, she looked back over her shoulder at the pigtailed boy before leaving. "I'm glad you're okay," she told him. "Don't get too crazy now. You need to take care of yourself and heal up."

With that piece of advice and a friendly smile, Ukyou waved goodbye and shut the restaurant's door behind her.

Now alone again, Ranma let out a frustrated groan over Ukyou's actions. "Man, gimme a break, Ucchan," he muttered, sliding his feet down from the table to the floor. "Guess I oughtta go talk to her-"

The injured martial artist was about to get up to go calm Shampoo when he heard the restaurant's door slide open again all of a sudden.

"You forget somethin'?" Ranma asked, assuming the visitor was Ukyou once again. That assumption, however, was incorrect. Rather than Ukyou, Ranma saw a man with long, black hair and a dark blue robe step into the restaurant. He hadn't seen him lately, but the scar on the man's face reminded Ranma of someone. "Wait...Jynn?"

The former associate of Li and Meilin, and also the man who once bore the name Perm as an Amazon, cracked a smile as he shut the door behind him. "It's been a while, Ranma," Jynn greeted the pigtailed boy, then noticing his damaged condition. "You look...unwell."

"I'm just fine, thanks," Ranma sneered at him. "Forget that, what the heck are you doin' here? Shouldn't you be in China?"

"Yes, and I'll be going back there very soon. I only have some brief business here with you," Jynn replied. Strolling over to the table, he pulled out the chair across from Ranma and took a seat.

"Oh yeah? What business ya got with me?" Ranma blinked.

There was a hint of discomfort in Jynn's expression as he leaned back in his chair. "You wouldn't know it because the government has kept such a tight lock on information getting out of the country, but there has been a situation unfolding in China as of late," he said.

Ranma raised an eyebrow at his unexpected visitor. "What kinda situation?"

"An ugly one. Everyone is in danger. Some are already dead," Jynn answered, sounding extremely serious. "Meilin has been secretly leaking information to me, so all that I know is what she has told me, but one thing she made very clear...is that it all began with the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo drying up."

Ranma's face went blank. He was stunned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. In fact, he didn't want to believe it.

"Aha...ahaha...AHAHAHA! C'mon, man, that ain't funny. Don't joke about tha-"

"This is no joke. The Cursed Springs are no more, Ranma. I went and confirmed it for myself before I came here."

This was a shocking blow to Ranma. He still didn't want to believe it. Even though he was unable to step foot onto the grounds of the Cursed Springs the last time he'd visited there, they were still his best bet for a cure to his curse. If the springs had dried up, so had his best remaining source of hope.

"I know that is some unpleasant news for you, but it isn't the worst of it. Will you hear me out?" Jynn asked him.

Though his mind was still racing while trying to comprehend the last bit of awful news, Ranma was willing to deal with it later. "Y-...yeah, go ahead. I dunno how this can get any worse though. That was my cure, man," he slumped down in his seat.

"You're about to find out," Jynn told him. "Apparently something came out of the Cursed Springs when they vanished. Right now military and government officials believe that it may have been a resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo, the one whose powers created the springs in the first place."

"...Sorceress Jusenkyo?"

"Legends say she terrorized the land thousands of years ago with her magic prowess. Whether it really is her or not, whatever came out of those springs has already slain at least 40 men. And I believe you deserve to know that Meilin and your friend, Ryouga, are on the front lines in the military's effort to locate and destroy her."

"R-Ryouga is?"

"That's correct. And I suppose that brings me to the reason I came here," Jynn said, reaching into the right sleeve of his robe. What he pulled out was a small, wooden cube with peculiar markings on it. "This."

Ranma examined the tiny cube, but wasn't sure what to make of it. "Okay...what is it?" he scratched his head.

"Nobody is certain," Jynn responded, an answer that didn't much impress the pigtailed boy. "Elder Cologne found this cube and one other acting strangely in a storage room of hers. Combined with the information I was given by Meilin, the old woman concluded that the incidents may have something in common. In other words..."

"You think this sorceress or whatever might need these things?" Ranma guessed.

"It's a possibility," Jynn nodded his head. "Elder Cologne decided to err on the side of caution and separate the two cubes. I was asked to leave this one in the safe keeping of yourself and Shampoo."

Reaching outward, Jynn gently placed the wooden cube in Ranma's right palm.

"Wait, she wants me to have this thing?" Ranma gave Jynn an odd look. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Just keep it safe," the Amazon man instructed him. "This way, in the event that something happens to us, Jusenkyo wouldn't be able to obtain both cubes until she locates the one you possess. It does, however, also place you in the line of danger. If you aren't willing to accept that responsibility, I would understand if you asked me to return the cube to the old woman."

Ranma didn't even have to think about Jynn's offer as he clasped the cube in his hand. "Nah. If she's givin' this thing to me and Shampoo, that means she trusts us with it. I ain't gonna go sendin' it back to her," he said. "But I got one big problem with all this."

"And that is?"

"I can't just sit here knowin' that you, the old hag, Meilin, and Ryouga are all over there takin' on this sorceress. If that's how it is, I'm comin' over there to help."

Jynn looked offended by the suggestion as he suddenly stood up from his chair. "Absolutely not!"

"I wasn't askin'," Ranma told him with determination in his eyes.

"Stop and think for a second! China is a dangerous place to be right now because there is so much uncertainty surrounding Sorceress Jusenkyo or whoever this murdering entity may be," Jynn explained as he began to lose his cool. "If you go to China, or even if you tell Shampoo everything I've told you here today, she will go there and her life will be at risk. Is that what you want?"

The harsh words from Jynn brought back horrifying memories in Ranma's mind of Shampoo's severe injury at the hands of Li. Jynn was right, he quickly acknowledged. Shampoo was a strong martial artist that could take care of herself, but Ranma didn't want to endure the pain of potentially losing her again.

"Listen, Shampoo is an Amazon warrior, but Elder Cologne, Mousse, and myself would all prefer for her to stay here with you where there is no immediate danger," Jynn told him. "As I said, you won't be completely safe so long as you hold that cube, but in the unlikely event that Jusenkyo escapes the might of China, at least you may be able to learn something from it before she comes looking for that item. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Grudgingly, Ranma took Jynn's words to heart and stuffed the wooden cube in his pants pocket. He wanted to fight, but protecting Shampoo was more important to him right now. "Fine, I hear ya. I won't tell Shampoo 'bout none of this. Just be careful, man. All of ya."

Glad that he was able to get through to the normally stubborn martial artist, Jynn allowed a relieved look to cross his face.

"I thank you for understanding. This is China's problem, so allow us to deal with it, Ranma."

* * *

On the other side of the Sea of Japan, hours after nighttime had fallen over the land of China, Meilin stood by herself with her hair being whipped around by a military helicopter landing nearby. The unofficial Commander of the Special Operations Unit's Orange Team had been expecting the visitor, but asked Ryouga to stay behind with Akane since she didn't want the youngest Tendo daughter to listen in on the meeting. She also considered that it may be best for Ryouga to not listen in, either, considering what was about to be discussed.

Once the helicopter landed and its blades began to slow, an excited, orange-haired man hopped out of the cabin and hurried over to his Commander. The pilot remained inside the chopper.

"_Yo yo, Commander! I did what you asked!_" Gibbon, another member of the Orange Team, informed Meilin in Mandarin.

Days earlier, Meilin had ordered Gibbon to take a print of the bottom of Akane's shoe and head to the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo to find out what he could about the shoe owner's actions there. What he found would go a long way in determining whether or not Akane's story about what had happened to her at the Cursed Springs was actually true or not.

"_Good job. Tell me what you learned, Gibbon,_" Meilin instructed him. After putting up with Akane's presence despite having doubts about her story, the white-haired warrior was ready to learn the truth.

Wearing a proud smile on his face, Gibbon held up the print of Akane's shoe that he had taken with him. "_I found the same prints at the Cursed Springs, Commander! They were definitely the same! Definitely, definitely!_"

For Meilin, that was one piece of information confirmed. Akane was undoubtedly at the springs when the incident they had been investigating occurred. Now it was time for the important part. "_And what can you tell me about those prints?_" she asked her subordinate.

"_These ones were deeper than any of the others, Commander! And they were spread further apart, too!_" Gibbon explained to her in a loud voice. "_I think whoever made 'em was running, Commander!_"

Meilin's eyes narrowed at the thin-figured man. "_You're sure?_"

"_Positive, ma'am!_" Gibbon grinned widely at her.

As Meilin recalled, Akane had said that she threw one of the cloaked men into a spring and then ran away that day at the Cursed Springs. In addition, when Meilin and Ryouga had been investigating the springs, they saw only one set of footprints that looked like the owner was running while another set of prints appeared to be from someone going at a much slower pace. What Gibbon was saying about the footprints matched up with Akane's story.

"_Is there anything else for me to do, Commander?_" Gibbon asked.

"_No...that's all for now, Gibbon. You can go,_" Meilin told him. "_Oh, and if the General gets nosy, don't let him know what you were doing at the springs. Make something up. Understood?_"

"_I understand! Please call me again soon, Commander!_" Gibbon saluted her. The look of pure satisfaction on his face showed just how much he enjoyed getting orders from his Commander.

While Gibbon returned to the helicopter and the pilot started the aircraft up again, Meilin began heading back to where Ryouga and Akane were waiting. She felt torn about how to take the information she'd just received. On one hand, Gibbon confirming part of Akane's story meant that Meilin could probably get away with not watching Akane as closely from now on, even though her suspicions weren't completely quelled just yet. But on the other hand, the news also took away a potential reason to get Akane away from Ryouga for good.

Then, in mid-step, Meilin came to a sudden halt. Something bright had appeared out of the corner of her eye, and it wasn't the lights of the helicopter. Wanting to see what it was, Meilin spun her head around just in time to witness what would turn out to be a horrific sight.

"_Wha-?_" she gasped.

An enormous, horizontal pillar of light roared across the plain and enveloped the helicopter, causing it to explode almost instantly. The blast was powerful enough that it knocked Meilin off her feet and sent her rolling along the ground as bits and pieces of the chopper began to fall around her. The light pillar persisted for two more seconds and then finally dissipated into the air, but the damage was already done.

Her ears ringing, a stunned Meilin slowly lifted herself to her knees and took in the scene around her. The helicopter carrying Gibbon and the pilot was gone. Only parts of it remained, some of which were still on fire from the aircraft's explosion. A plethora of smoke was rising up from the earth and trees could be heard falling to the ground off in the distance.

"_Gibbon..._" Meilin uttered her subordinate's name under her breath. Still wobbly-legged, she managed to get back to her feet and better survey the damage.

What Meilin could now see reminded her very well of something she'd observed before. The blast that had just come through had left a long, wide trench in the ground that was covered with blackened dirt.

"_It's the same,_" she mumbled. "_It looks exactly the same as when Jukai fought the cloaked guy. That means..._"

"Meilin, behind you!"

Recognizing the sudden warning as being in Ryouga's voice, Meilin quickly turned around to find an individual cloaked in black standing directly behind her. The person was at least a foot taller than her and held a large scythe over their head, ready to attack.

As the scythe's blade came down at her, Meilin used her reflexes to dive to the side and out of harm's way just before the ghastly weapon could cleave through her.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

No sooner had Meilin hit the ground again that Ryouga struck the earth below the cloaked assailant with his index finger, causing it to burst into a shower of dirt and stones. The unknown entity leaped nearly 20 feet into the air as though it were nothing, slicing and batting away the rubble with the blade of their scythe before landing on the opposite side of the trench the earlier blast had created.

"Damn, he's fast!" Ryouga noted, hurrying to check on his partner. "Meilin, are you okay?"

"Thanks to you I am. Sorry, honey, I got careless," Meilin responded, sounding ashamed of herself as she took a good look at the individual that had tried to attack her. "Black cloak. Scythe in one hand. Enough power to create that blast earlier. It's just like Jukai said. Ryouga, it's her!"

Behind them, Akane, who had followed Ryouga after they'd seen the pillar of light, fell to her backside and pointed at the cloaked person in horror. "Th-that's him! He's the one that's been following me, Ryouga!"

Ryouga kept his eyes locked on their visitor as he helped Meilin back to her feet. "So this is Sorceress Jusenkyo?"

"It has to be," Meilin seethed, wasting no time unsheathing her snake sword. "This bitch...she just killed Gibbon!"

Initially surprised by the news, Ryouga bit down on his bottom lip in anger. "Gibbon...that was our teammate, you monster!" he snarled at Jusenkyo.

The cloaked sorceress held her scythe out in front of her, looking eager to go back on the attack at any moment.

"Be careful, Ryouga," Meilin cautiously warned him. "Remember what Jukai told us. We need to watch Jusenkyo's free hand for signs of one of those blasts of magic power."

"Yeah...I remember," the young martial artist nodded. "Akane, stay back no matter what! We're going to put a stop to this!"

Akane scampered away to what she hoped would be a safe distance. After the terror Jusenkyo had put her through, Akane had no desire whatsoever to defy Ryouga's wishes and get involved.

Jusenkyo stood ready on one side of the trench. Ryouga and Meilin stood ready on the other. A battle seemed to be imminent. Then, curiously, the resurrected Jusenkyo briefly shook her head.

Ryouga and Meilin didn't even have time to consider what the gesture meant as the sorceress slashed her scythe into the ground. A sizable cloud of dirt blew outward from the point of impact, temporarily obstructing Jusenkyo from the vision of the duo on the other side of the trench.

"Like that'll work on us!" Ryouga scoffed at the move.

It was a short-lived distraction as the wind blew the dirt cloud right past Ryouga and Meilin. They would find out, however, that the tactic was more effective than they had anticipated. Surprisingly, Jusenkyo had vanished.

"Ryouga, where is she?" Meilin asked her partner while darting her eyes all around the area.

"I-...I don't know!" Ryouga nervously replied.

The pair waited for a full nerve-wracking minute, but Jusenkyo didn't reappear. As Akane looked on, Ryouga and Meilin stood amidst the destruction looking immensely confused.

"Did she...run away?" Meilin wondered aloud.

Ryouga couldn't believe that was the case, but the longer they waited, the more it appeared to be true. "She shook her head right before she did that. Maybe she was saying she didn't want to fight us?"

Fuming, Meilin threw her snake sword downward so that the tip of it stuck in the earth. The chance to complete their mission had slipped away. "You think you can take out Gibbon and then just leave?" she screamed into the night. "When I find you, I'm going to KILL YOU!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 13**


	39. QoE: Fun in the Dark

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Under the sunlit morning sky of mainland China, Ryouga, Meilin and Akane sat together around a crackling campfire. Meilin was munching away on some pickled turnips—one of the few things that her body's constitution allowed her to eat. Ryouga, meanwhile, was killing some time by showing Akane how to work the military communicator that he and his partner had been using since their sentence began.

Three days had passed since they were attacked by the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo—and that was exactly how they were now referring to her. Any doubt about her identity had vanished after the deadly assault that claimed the life of their fellow Orange Team member, Gibbon, and nearly that of Meilin as well. Not surprisingly, a somber mood had set in amongst their group since then. Meilin, in particular, had been acting different since narrowly escaping being cleaved in half by Jusenkyo's scythe. She had kept very close to Ryouga these past few days, knowing perfectly well that if not for his vocal warning that night, she wouldn't be here right now. Although she wouldn't admit it, Ryouga had a feeling that the whole ordeal had instilled some fear into his usually tough girlfriend.

The three of them hadn't moved much over the past few days as they believed Jusenkyo may still be nearby. A report they received late last night, however, informed them that Jusenkyo had apparently attacked a farming community well to their west—a development that perplexed them, to say the least. If Akane was her primary target and she knew where Akane was, then why did Jusenkyo run off and attack another location? Was she just concerned about her chances in battle against the team of Ryouga and Meilin, or was she after something other than Akane as well? Whatever the case, today their group would be setting off in search of the sorceress once more.

"So, this key brings up a list of our old messages," Ryouga said, pointing to one of the rightmost keys on the communicator.

"Ahh, okay. What does this one do?" Akane gestured to the key next to it.

After downing another slice of her turnips, Meilin—who was practically leaning against Ryouga—rested her chin on the broad shoulder of her man. "Honey, why are you bothering to show her how to use that thing?"

"Huh? Oh, no reason, really," Ryouga told her. "Just something to take our minds off things."

Meilin allowed a soft sigh to escape from her lips. "I guess it's better than thinking about how Jusenkyo wants us all dead, huh?"

Even without looking, Ryouga could tell there was a sullen look on the face of the white-haired warrior. In truth, Meilin's close call had affected him just as much as it had her. Watching Jusenkyo's weapon come down and barely miss the woman that night had just about given him a heart attack. They'd been in some dangerous situations since taking on the roles of military prisoners months earlier, but never anything like that. Never against an enemy of the caliber that Sorceress Jusenkyo appeared to be.

"I'm sorry," Akane apologized, hanging her head. "It's all my fault."

"That's not true, Akane," Ryouga was quick to disagree. "Why would you say that?"

"Because, I threw that guy into the cursed spring..."

"Don't be ridiculous! You were just defending yourself like anyone would."

"But-"

"He's right. It isn't your fault," Meilin intervened, trying to put the girl's mind at ease. Ever since learning that Gibbon's findings had supported Akane's story, Meilin had been far less cold toward her. Whatever suspicion remained about the youngest Tendo daughter had also essentially been wiped out the moment Jusenkyo appeared before them. Meilin had seen then and there with her own two eyes that Akane wasn't the Sorceress Jusenkyo they'd been searching for. In the end, she really was just another victim of this crazy situation. Meilin still wasn't going to let the Japanese girl get any closer to her Ryouga, though. As far as she was concerned, he was hers and no one else's. "Don't worry about who to blame for this whole mess. We're going to put Jusenkyo in a new grave, and we're going to come out of it alive. All of us. That's all there is to it."

"Y-yeah..." Akane managed to smile a bit. "Once it's all over, I can finally see Dad, Kasumi, and everyone else again. And P-chan, too! I miss him so much. I bet he's worried sick about me."

The mention of P-chan made Ryouga's hair stand on end. "Right! P-chan!" he said with some nervous laughter. "I'm sure he really misses you, too, Akane! Aha...ahahaha!"

"P-chan?" Meilin batted her eyes at the girl. "Who is P-chan?"

"Oh, P-chan is my pet piglet," Akane giggled.

Now realizing who she was talking about, Meilin turned and narrowed her gaze at Ryouga. "Is that so?" she stared sharply at him. "P-chan, huh?"

"W-well, we should probably pack up and get going!" Ryouga shot to his feet in a hurry. "Time's a wastin'! Ahahahaha!"

The trio would be on the move again soon. It seemed inevitable that they were going to have another run-in with Jusenkyo at some point. The only question was, when?

* * *

"_Hmm hmm hmm hmmm~_"

On the other side of the Sea of Japan, Kasumi was happily humming away as she strolled through the hallways of the Tendo household carrying a clean stack of linen. While passing by the living room, she took a brief peek inside to check in on her father and his guest, a very familiar panda, who were playing a game of Go on the walkway outside. Everything seemed just like old times between them.

The incident several months earlier with Akane suddenly leaving after watching Ranma kiss Shampoo had put a great strain on the relationship between Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome. In his anger, Soun had banished both of the guests from his home, and even unveiled Genma's curse to Nodoka. As was the case with many things, however, time was slowly healing the wounds brought on by what had happened back then, and Soun had mostly forgiven Genma for the trespasses of his son. Soun's feelings on Ranma remained another story, but for now Kasumi was just happy to see her father and his old friend getting along again. She would have to bring the two of them some snacks once she finished what she was doing, the eldest Tendo daughter decided.

Just as Kasumi was about to leave, an unexpected visitor dropping down into the garden caught her attention. That visitor, dressed in her casual attire of a long-sleeved white blouse and a long black skirt, was Kodachi Kuno. Exactly one week remained before her long-awaited semi-final match in the Queen of Extreme Tournament against the girl she despised more than any other in the world, Kiriko Nakajima.

"Greetings once again, denizens of the Tendo household," Kodachi said, hopping directly over the Go board on her way inside. "Remain seated and carry on, please."

Soun opened his mouth to voice a complaint about the girl entering his home uninvited, but then thought otherwise. She hadn't ever listened before when he had something to say on the matter, after all, so why would she now? At least she hadn't referred to them as peasants this time around. Opting to just avoid the trouble and let the girl do as she pleased, Soun turned his attention back to the game of Go he was engaged in. That was when he noticed something was off. It had been Genma's turn before, and now there appeared to be white stones at both the 17-4 and 17-5 positions on the board, both of which were previously empty. "Hey, did you place an extra stone?" he gave the panda an accusing look.

Genma vehemently shook his head in denial. Soun started to stare at him more closely, though, and Genma had to look away. His guilt was as clear as day.

"Oh, welcome, Kodachi," Kasumi greeted the new arrival walking toward her.

"Good day, Kasumi Tendo," the dark-haired gymnast returned the pleasantry. "Where might I find my second?"

Kasumi tilted her head, looking to be confused by the inquiry. "That's strange. I could have sworn Ringo said you two wouldn't be doing your training until later tonight."

"That is not why I am here," Kodachi placed her hands on her hips, showing signs of annoyance at the remark. "Can I not visit her for other reasons?"

"O-oh, of course you can!" Kasumi said with a smile. She had been under the impression that Kodachi wanted nothing to do with Ringo outside of their training sessions, so this was a bit surprising for her. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Ringo isn't here right now. She said she was going to the pool with a friend earlier, and she hasn't come back yet. If you'd like to wait-"

"A friend?" the younger Kuno sibling blinked. "The one with the large cooking utensil?"

"Ukyou, you mean? I don't think so..."

"Ranma-darling?"

"No, I really don't think Ranma would-"

"That hussy from China?"

"Shampoo? I think Ringo would have said her name if it was. Calling her a hussy isn't very nice, tho-"

"Fine, then. Who is this friend? _Who?_" Kodachi asked in a demanding tone.

"I-...I don't know. She never mentioned who it was," Kasumi informed her, backing away slightly from the imposing girl.

For some reason, the thought of her second being out and about with an unknown friend wasn't sitting with Kodachi very well. "I see," she muttered. "If you'll excuse me."

Kasumi watched as the unusual gymnast made a hasty exit the same way she came, bounding over Soun's Go board and then out past the walls of the Tendo estate. "Oh, my. I wonder what that was all about?"

While Kasumi went back to her housekeeping and Soun and Genma proceeded with their game, Kodachi hurried down the road in search of her absent second. "_Strange, she has never told me of any friends other than those nuisances who used to impede my attempts at Ranma-darling,_" she thought to herself. "_Could she be...dating someone? Is that it? Did she accept some boy's advances behind my back?_"

Finding herself distracted, Kodachi rounded the nearest corner and had to make an abrupt stop as she nearly collided with another pedestrian. "You there!" she hissed at the girl, either not aware or not willing to believe that the incident was her own fault. "Watch where you are-...hmm? Nabiki Tendo?"

"Kodachi?" Nabiki gave her a puzzled look. "What are you doing at our house?"

Nabiki hadn't visited home since the peculiar alliance between Kodachi and Ringo had been made, and thus she knew nothing about it. The Kuno girl wasn't in much of a mood to explain it to her, either. "N-nothing really," Kodachi brushed aside the question. "If you are here, does that mean my dear brother...?"

"Yeah, Kuno-baby is back, too. We've been running ourselves ragged lately, so we're taking a well-deserved vacation for a few weeks," Nabiki explained. For her, it was really more of a vacation from Tatewaki Kuno himself than it was from work. The man could be insufferable to be around after a while. "I think he said he was going to see Ranma about something before he went home."

"Oh, dear. I fear that shall not end well," Kodachi voiced concern over the tidbit of news. If her brother was going to visit Ranma, he was likely going to be wearing bandages again the next time she saw him. Worrying over him would have to wait until later, though. Right now, she had to find Ringo. "In any case, I must be off. Farewell, Nabiki Tendo."

Kodachi departed the scene in a rush, leaving Nabiki still without any answers as to what she was doing there in the first place.

"Weird girl," Nabiki said under her breath.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh-!_"

Hearing someone's yelling coming from the sky all of a sudden, Nabiki looked upward in search of the source. Somehow she wasn't surprised that there, flying through the air, was her business partner, Tatewaki Kuno. Still hollering at the top of his lungs, Kuno crossed over the walls of the Tendo estate and soared directly into the koi pond, making a splash loud enough that Nabiki knew exactly where he had landed without even having to witness it.

The business-minded girl began rubbing her temple as she found her vacation already spoiled. "Why am I having this feeling of deja vu?" she grumbled.

* * *

"Guy never learns."

Brushing off his hands, Ranma walked back into the dining area of the Cat Café after having disposed of Kuno for the time being. Much like their last tangle, this one didn't last too long, and that was probably for the best considering Ranma was still stitched up and recovering from his battle with Jukai several days earlier. He hadn't heard from the former member of the Chinese military since then, and given the shape the man was in at the end of their fight, Ranma wasn't sure he ever would.

One thing that had certainly been on the pigtailed boy's mind over the past few days was the news he'd received from Jynn about the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo. Ranma had done his best to hide it around Shampoo and everyone else, but the fact that his best shot for a cure to his curse had reportedly dried up really had him down in the dumps. Knowing that Ryouga and Mousse, among others, were now over there preparing to fight a potentially deadly sorceress wasn't helping, either. Despite Jynn's wishes, Ranma still wanted to head over there and help, but instead he was stuck watching over some strange wooden cube that Cologne had entrusted to him. To his credit, though, he had kept that cube in his possession every waking moment since he'd received it. He just hoped the threat known as Sorceress Jusenkyo would be extinguished before she ever came looking for it, assuming the cube really was something she was after, that is.

Ranma crossed over into the restaurant's kitchen, where a number of old boxes were sitting around an open wooden door in the corner of the floor. Beneath that door, a short staircase led down into a small storage area—providing about 25 square feet worth of space—where Shampoo was currently rummaging through more containers. Somewhere in there sat a special dumpling recipe that had been stashed away for future use—or so Shampoo believed, anyway. She had recently felt a desire to give it a try, and thus she and Ranma had closed the restaurant until dinner time tonight in order to search for it.

"Yo, I'm back," Ranma peered down into the room, which was lit by a single light bulb.

Shampoo thrust another box up to the open door, which Ranma grabbed and set alongside the others. "Ranma beat Kuno boy so soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, Kuno's kinda out of practice," Ranma told her. "Ain't really surprisin' I guess since he's all wrapped up in whatever him and Nabiki are up to."

"Least he no break door this time," Shampoo snorted. She had _not_ enjoyed repairing the door to the restaurant after Kuno's temper led him to burst into the Cat Café the hard way during his last visit.

The Amazon girl was feeling in better spirits now than she had three days ago when Ukyou's provocation had soured her mood. She had destroyed a few trivial items to let off some steam afterward, but she went to bed that night still agitated over being called "gutless" by Ranma's oldest friend. She had no idea why Ukyou was trying to pick a fight with her now, of all times, but whatever the reason was, she felt it would be best if the okonomiyaki chef just forgot about it and moved on.

"I'm guessin' you ain't found that recipe yet?" Ranma asked as he descended back down into the hole.

"No yet," Shampoo shook her head. "Is no much more look through, though."

The thought of going through the rest of the boxes before him was unpleasant enough that it had Ranma hoping Kuno would make a quick recovery and barge in again. "Man, we better find this thing soon. I can't stand doin' this kinda stuff."

Shampoo looked up from the junk-filled container she was searching through. "Ranma no have fun?"

"There ain't nothin' that could possibly be fun 'bout this," Ranma muttered.

A mischievous look crossed Shampoo's face—one that Ranma had learned never to take lightly. "We see about that." Seemingly intent on proving her man wrong, Shampoo ascended halfway up the staircase and pulled down the door to the small room they were in, shutting them both inside.

"Huh? Hey, what're you doin'?" a puzzled Ranma inquired as he watched the girl hop back down to the floor.

With playful thoughts aplenty running through her mind, Shampoo gleefully grabbed hold of the pull cord for the storage area's lone source of light. "Have fun now," she answered with a devious smile.

*_click!_*

One quick yank of the cord and Ranma was completely surrounded by darkness. No light, and no one within hearing distance but himself and Shampoo.

Ranma tensed up when he felt a pair of hands grab him by the waist. Slowly, the girl pulled herself closer to him. With every movement, he could feel her long hair brushing further up his left arm. She moved even closer now, close enough that Ranma could feel her warm breath against the side of his neck—an unfamiliar sensation that gave him goosebumps. He was dense when it came to this sort of thing, but not so much that he didn't understand what Shampoo was up to.

Thoroughly enjoying teasing Ranma thus far, Shampoo took it a step further and pressed her lips against his neck. Then once more. And again, right above the jade necklace that Cologne made him wear. Shampoo heard him swallow hard. His lack of resistance up to this point was surprising, but definitely a good thing. It was encouraging her to see just how far she could take it.

Shampoo brought her hands up Ranma's abdomen and chest with a deliberate slowness, continuing on upward until she was able to feel his face. Then, with her hands cupping Ranma's cheeks, Shampoo leaned in and locked her lips together with his. They had kissed before, but this felt...different. The mood, the setting, the lack of anyone else around...it was the most passionate show of affection they had shared with one another. And, as Shampoo had become well aware, Ranma was still allowing her to do this.

Urged on by Ranma's favorable reaction, Shampoo wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her entire body up against his. Ranma accepted the extra weight, placing his hands over Shampoo's hips, and the two of them fell back against a flimsy stack of boxes sitting against the wall.

*_clang!_*

"Owwww!"

Just as oddly as their loving moment had started, it ended with a pained groan coming from Ranma. After the boy had slipped from her grasp, Shampoo felt around for the cord hanging from above and turned the light back on. Ranma was crouched down by the floor with both hands clutching the top of his head, and next to him lay the object that had apparently struck his cranium: a scroll with its contents wrapped around two heavy iron bars.

Shampoo was cheering on the inside over just how far Ranma had allowed her to go, but on the outside she couldn't help but giggle at the silliness that had caused her to stop. "Shampoo think maybe this no is good place for fun," she placed a hand over her mouth to try to suppress her laughter. "Ranma no seem mind, though."

Ranma's face was flush and his heart still beating wildly after the amorous moment with the lavender-haired girl. The more the pain in his head subsided, the more the thoughts of what he'd just experienced sunk in. "Y-yeah, well...I, uh..." he fumbled with his words. Somehow, he just wasn't sure what to say after all of..._that_. He was so flustered while searching for an explanation that he wasn't completely aware he had picked up the scroll that hit him.

"Mmm? What that one?" Shampoo took notice of the scroll. Taking the item as Ranma held it out, she opened it carefully. The girl's face immediately lit up with surprise. This wasn't the dumpling recipe she was looking for, but rather something she'd forgotten about for quite some time. "This...aiyaa..."

"What? You seen it before?" Ranma stood back up, still rubbing his head with one hand. Whatever it was, he was glad Shampoo's focus had shifted to that item and away from his beet red face.

Shampoo gave a brief nod as she looked at the scroll warmly. "Before Li and Meilin take us China, Great-grandmother try teach Shampoo technique," she told him. "Is called Speed of Light Fist. Very hard master this one, but Great-grandmother say many time Shampoo can. Just no get chance when so much happen."

As it had to do with martial arts, Ranma was starting to take an interest. "Speed of Light Fist, huh? What's it do?" he asked.

"This one...like name say, is very, very fast attack, but you is too tired after use it to protect self. Is all-or-nothing. That why Great-grandmother say is only for defeat enemy that too strong for you," Shampoo answered, turning her eyes toward her man. "Ranma want learn? Too big as boy, but girl half maybe can."

Those conditions were an instant deal breaker for Ranma. "I can only learn it as a girl? Heck no, forget it," he declined the offer without hesitation. " 'Sides, usin' somethin' like that would be like admittin' that I can't beat someone any other way."

True, it really was against Ranma's nature to admit that someone was too strong for him, Shampoo thought. Cologne had taught her from the beginning of her training days that there would always be someone stronger out there, though, and that she should be prepared in the event that her life was ever threatened by one of them. The Amazon elder wasn't here with her right now, but Shampoo could still remember how adamant the old woman was about her learning the technique.

Shampoo did eventually find her dumpling recipe. Naturally, it was in the very last box she and Ranma had yet to check. After that, everything else was packed back into the small room in an orderly manner. Everything, that is, except for a particular scroll that Shampoo had decided to take back to her room with her.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Nerima Ward, a girl with a red ponytail and another with long, blonde hair—both dressed lightly to combat the heat and carrying bags over their shoulders containing their swimsuits and other necessities—were on their way back to the Tendo household after a fun day at the public swimming pool. For Ringo Saotome and her friend, Alysse, it was the second time they'd spent a few hours together outside of the Cat Café. Shampoo, who had been encouraging the two of them to do this sort of thing after seeing how well they got along at the restaurant, was all too willing to tell Ringo to take the day off and go enjoy herself after the waitress had made her plans for today known.

"I still can't believe how fast you can swim! I couldn't keep up with you at all," Ringo complimented her friend's abilities in the water.

"I told you I was good," Alysse boasted with pride. "You're no slouch, either, though. I had no idea you were in such good shape. Does being a waitress really give you that much of a workout?"

"Well...no, I think it's mostly because of other things," Ringo laughed as she stretched her arms out above her head. "Phew. I hope I have enough energy left for training tonight."

For some reason, the mention of Ringo's training made the smile disappear from Alysse's face. "Hey, Ringo," she said, her head angled toward the ground, "...do you know how long you'll be helping that person with their gymnastics training?"

The young redhead had to think about that one. Kodachi had never really made it clear how long she wanted Ringo to be her second for. She had entered the Queen of Extreme Tournament with the sole purpose of getting revenge against Kiriko, so would it end after that match? Realistically, it might continue on into the tournament's championship match, or even further if Kodachi won. Just how long _did_ Kodachi intend on using her as a second? "Umm...I don't really know, to be honest," Ringo was a bit embarrassed to admit. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, n-no reason, really," Alysse continued to shy away from looking at the girl. "It's just...you're always so busy, and I thought it would be nice if you had some more free time. Then...maybe we could-"

"_Ringo!_"

Ringo let out a startled yelp as the very person she had just been thinking about, Kodachi Kuno, seemed to drop down in front of her from out of nowhere, impeding the path of she and her friend.

"There you are!" Kodachi said, annoyed at the fact that she had to go searching for the girl like this.

"Kodachi! What are you doing here?" a surprised Ringo asked the gymnast. Suddenly, she was filled with concern that she'd done something wrong. "Oh, no! Were we supposed to start training already? I'm so sorry! I thought it wasn't until later tonight!"

"No, it is not that," Kodachi eased the redhead's fears, her eyebrow twitching slightly. "Really, can I not come see you for other...oh, never mind!" Getting impatient, Kodachi grabbed Ringo by the hand and started to pull her away. "Just come along!"

"H-hey, Kodachi!" Ringo looked at her in confusion. "Where are we-...eep!"

Kodachi and Ringo both felt themselves jerk back all of a sudden. As they would see when they turned around, Alysse had taken hold of Ringo's other hand, and she wasn't letting go. The blonde girl said nothing, but she had a nasty glare fixed on the Black Rose of St. Hebereke that spoke volumes.

Not appreciating the interruption, Kodachi returned the unfriendly look to Alysse. "I do not know who you are, but I demand you unhand my second! I have need of her."

Alysse ignored the strong words, keeping her tight grip on Ringo's hand. She wasn't about to adhere to Kodachi's demand.

Seeing that look Alysse was giving Kodachi was something new for Ringo. She had never seen her friend angry before. She didn't know quite what it was about, but one thing she did know was that she needed to quell the situation before it escalated into something worse. "It's okay, Alysse. We're not far from the Tendo's house anyway," she flashed the girl a smile. "Today was really fun! I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Hmm?" Alysse finally took her eyes off of Kodachi. "Oh...sure, if that's what you want," she said, her voice giving away the heavy disappointment she was feeling right now. "Later, then..."

Reluctantly, Alysse allowed Ringo's hand to slip out of her grasp.

Turning her nose up at the blonde girl, Kodachi dragged her second away without any further trouble. Neither of them noticed that Alysse had balled her hands into fists as she watched them leave—fists that she had to strongly convince herself not to embed into the nearest wall. An obstacle to what she desired had just presented itself to her, and that obstacle's name was Kodachi Kuno.

"Kodachi, what's the hurry? Slow down a little," Ringo complained to her gymnastics partner.

The grievance fell on deaf ears, though. For the moment, Kodachi's mind was not on Ringo, but rather on the one she had just engaged in a brief staring contest with. Somehow, that person seemed...familiar. "_Why do I feel as though I have seen that girl before?_" she silently wondered.

* * *

**End of Chapter 14**


	40. QoE: A Gymnast and Her Second

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

*_ding ding_*

Somewhere in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, a bell atop the door of a dressmaker's shop rang, signaling the arrival of a customer. Upon hearing the noise, an older woman—looking to be in her late 50's or early 60's—peeked out from within her workroom behind the counter.

"Ah! Miss Kuno! Welcome!" the gray-haired clothier greeted one of her regular customers.

Kodachi Kuno flashed the hoity-toity woman a smile. "Bonjour, Madame Dubois," she shared her own greeting in French. Though she hid it well, Kodachi had a lot on her mind right now. After all, there was only one day left. Tomorrow, her long-awaited chance for redemption would come. It would be the day she met Kiriko Nakajima in the semi-finals of the EGF's Queen of Extreme Tournament.

"I presume you are here for _that_ item?" Madame Dubois inquired.

"You presume correctly," Kodachi confirmed the woman's assumption. "Is it ready?"

With an air of confidence about her, the seasoned dressmaker bent down underneath the counter and produced a light box with the name "Kuno" written on it. Lifting off the top of the container, she carefully grabbed the piece of clothing within and held it up for the gymnast to see.

Kodachi's eyes were practically sparkling at the sight of the magnificent piece of attire.

"I made it similar to your last order, as requested, yet added enough of a different touch to make it feel unique," Dubois beamed with pride in her work. "What do you think?"

"It is...perfect! I was right in trusting you with the task, Madame," Kodachi praised the woman's skill.

Madame Dubois took a quick bow. Kodachi's reaction was just as she'd expected. "You certainly were," she agreed. "The one you plan on giving this to is a very lucky girl, indeed."

The younger Kuno sibling still hadn't taken her eyes off of the dressmaker's work as Madame Dubois placed it back into its box. Nearly a week earlier, she had asked the older woman to make the item not for herself, but rather for her second, Ringo Saotome. Ringo had never asked for any thanks for helping Kodachi as she had, but Kodachi still felt compelled to show her gratitude. This, she thought, was the ideal gift, and she couldn't wait to see Ringo's expression once she first saw it.

Kodachi had already decided that she would give Ringo her present tomorrow after the match. She only hoped that they would be in a celebratory mood once that time came around.

"Well then, allow me to prepare this for your journey home," Dubois placed the top back over the box. Before she tinkered with it any further, however, the older woman cast a curious look at something over Kodachi's shoulder. "Erm...who is this, if you don't mind my asking? A friend of yours?"

Considering she had entered the shop alone, Kodachi had no idea what Madame Dubois was talking about. "I beg your pardon? Who are you-?" she began to ask. When she turned her head to look, though, she suddenly spotted a mass of pink hair right next to her face. "GYAH!" the Black Rose shrieked in surprise. Kodachi jumped away from the girl who had snuck up on her—a sometimes terrifying gymnast who bore the name Sakura Okazaki. "You! What are you doing there, you demon?"

Sakura—dressed in a grungy leather jacket and jeans—wore a big grin on her face, clearly pleased with herself for scaring the wits out of Kodachi. "I saw ya come in here, so I followed ya," she said, pointing to the door.

Now that Kodachi thought about it, if Sakura had been standing there the entire time, she probably... "Did you see it?"

The girl nicknamed "Heavy Metal" gave Kodachi a sly look. "I did."

Kodachi could feel her cheeks turning red already. "Not a word. Do you understand me?" she stared menacingly at her fellow gymnast.

Tapping her finger against her chin, Sakura acted as though she were mulling over the demand. "Hmm...tell ya what, treat me to lunch and I'll forget all about it!"

"Oh, blackmailing me now, are you?" Kodachi hissed at her.

The wild, pink-haired girl couldn't keep herself from snickering at Kodachi's seriousness. "I'm just kiddin', 'Dachi! Lighten up!" she patted her one-time opponent on the shoulder. "I think it's cute ya got that for the little waitress girl. Ain't my style, but I bet she'll like it."

Kodachi Kuno was giving her adversary of two weeks ago a look that could kill. "Would you like to tell me why you are here before I strangle the life out of you with my ribbon?"

"Uwahh, scary!" Sakura held her hands up, the threat seeming to entertain her more than anything. "Relax, I just came to see how you were feelin' for tomorrow's match. You ready for Kiriko?"

"I have been ready for that she-devil for ages," Kodachi emphatically answered her. "Rest assured, she will wish she had never stepped into a ring with me for a second time."

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Sakura gave an approving thumbs up. "Might be nice to bring some fans along this time. Some of the girls from your school or somethin', y'know?"

Although she was fine with her quiet advancement through the tournament, there was just a hint of disappointment in Kodachi's eyes at the mention of her fans. "The St. Hebereke School for Girls remains either unaware of or unconcerned with my matches," she explained. "Not that it is any worry of mine. I shall simply walk into my contest tomorrow without any support just as I have the others."

"Yeesh. That's totally gloomy," Sakura cringed. "Well, maybe I'll bring a friend or two with me to help cheer ya on."

Kodachi couldn't help but take notice of the girl's last remark. "Are you saying that you intend to be there?"

"Hell yes, I'll be there! You're the only one left that stands a chance against Priscilla, remember?" Sakura reminded her.

The mention of Priscilla Winters, the Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion, was more of an annoyance to Kodachi than anything. Here she was, entirely focused on Kiriko as she should be, and this girl had to keep blabbering on about another gymnast.

"Speakin' of that, she had her semi-final match earlier today. Priscilla, I mean," Sakura informed her. "She beat the 4th Seed in 18 seconds."

What once was of no concern to Kodachi now piqued her interest. The 4th Seed was only one step behind Sakura, after all. For Priscilla to beat a high-ranked girl like that in such quick fashion, just how good _was_ the Champion?

"It's all Kiriko, Kiriko, Kiriko with you. I know. I get it," the pink-haired gymnast spoke. She sounded noticeably more serious now, shedding her playful nature for the moment. "But just like the rest of us, I know there's a competitor in you, too. Ya hear me say stuff like Priscilla's undefeated and that she won her match today in 18 seconds, and ya start thinkin' about what you'd do if ya got a crack at her."

Kodachi fixed a sharp look on the girl, but she wouldn't say anything. She didn't confirm that the statement was right, nor did she deny that there was some truth to it.

"She's in the finals, 'Dachi. She's waitin' for one of ya," Sakura painted the picture for the one who eliminated her from the tournament. "You want her? Beat Kiriko and she's all yours."

After a moment of silence, the daughter of the Kuno family began to chuckle to herself. A tiny smirk had even crossed her face. "You know-"

*_groowwwwl..._*

Whatever Kodachi had planned on saying was abruptly interrupted by the astonishingly loud sound of the other gymnast's stomach growling.

"Hey, 'Dachi," Sakura weakly uttered, placing a hand over her empty belly, "...I really was kinda hungry. Buy me lunch."

Kodachi's eye twitched as she glared at the would-be mooch. "Purchase your own food, you glutton!"

"C'mon, I'm broke! I'll let ya ride my bike with me to a fast food joint. How 'bout it? I know ya want to."

"I most certainly told you 'no' the last time!"

"Aww, you're such a stick-in-the-mud, 'Dachi..."

"AND I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

* * *

"Thank you for coming!"

While the door closed behind a pair of customers leaving the Cat Café restaurant, Ringo Saotome collected the payment from their table and headed over to the kitchen counter where the cash register awaited. It was just another day on the job, but it definitely didn't feel that way. The gymnastics match Kodachi considered her most important was less than a day away, and Ringo was having a tough time keeping her mind off of it.

Over by the counter, an apron-clad Ranma was taking a load off of his feet when the waitress approached with money in-hand. "Hey, you sure you wanna be workin' today? Don't you and Kodachi got that match tomorrow?"

"Oh, it's fine. It actually helps calm my nerves a little," Ringo replied as she worked the register. "To tell you the truth, I think I might go crazy with worry if I wasn't keeping busy here."

Ranma, not really minding one way or the other, shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me. If you wanna go practice or somethin', you can go whenever ya want. 'Kay?"

"Okay," the redhead nodded. The sound of the restaurant door opening then grabbed her attention. "Wel-...come..."

Ringo's voice trailed off as a dashing, well-dressed young man stepped foot inside the establishment. Though a grin first crossed his face when he met eyes with the young waitress, that pleased look turned to one of surprise when he spotted the pigtailed boy next to her. He was someone that both of them recognized.

"Well now, if it isn't Ranma Saotome," the man said, a hint of disdain in his voice as he brushed back his brown hair.

"Mi-...Mikado?" Ranma stuttered. He had to look twice at his old enemy to assure himself he was seeing the right person.

Mikado wasn't alone, either. Next to him, a long-haired girl in a frilly yellow dress emerged, bouncing into the air to make sure her presence was known. "Azusa's here, too!" she announced to the entire dining area.

The Golden Pair of Kolhotz High School had appeared once more, and Ranma was none too happy about it. "You two...I thought I got rid of you guys a long time ago," he grumbled. "Ain't it a little late to be lookin' for revenge for that stupid ice skatin' match?"

"Hmph. How presumptuous," Mikado brushed off the insinuation that he was here for such a reason. "I wouldn't mind a little retribution, but you aren't the one I came for today. You see, I'm only here to speak with my red-haired beauty."

Ringo batted her eyes as the unabashed playboy set his sights on her. "M-me?" she asked. She certainly knew of the figure-skating duo thanks to Ranma's memories, but what they might possibly want with her after all this time was a complete mystery.

While the Golden Pair approached the counter where Ranma and Ringo stood, Shampoo—having heard part of the conversation—popped her head out from within the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about. "Ranma know these ones?"

"Kinda. Really wish I didn't, though," Ranma muttered.

Little did Shampoo know what type of situation her appearance had just gotten her into. Much to Mikado's delight, a new, enchanting figure had entered his vision, and, for the moment, his target had changed.

"And who is this breathtaking flower?" the handsome ice-skater asked, speaking of the Amazon girl. Putting his infamous forwardness on display, Mikado walked right up to the counter—ignoring both Ranma and Ringo on either side of him—and gently tilted Shampoo's chin upward with his hand.

"You want Shampoo break arm?" the Chinese girl warned him.

"Now, now. No need for hostility," Mikado calmly said to her. He wasn't someone accustomed to backing down from this type of challenge. In fact, it only made things more interesting for him. "You know, I have a very special greeting I like to bestow upon visions of loveliness such as yourself."

Mikado moved in close, looking to give Shampoo the same "special greeting" he had given to over a thousand other girls, including Ranma in his female form. Shampoo, of course, realized his intentions, and she wasn't having any of it. Reaching back with her right arm, she prepared to drive her palm straight into the underside of the boy's chin. The chance, however, would never come.

Mikado's head abruptly snapped to the side, and his hand fell away from Shampoo's face. As quickly became evident, Ranma had planted his foot into the side of the boy's cranium, effectively stopping him before Shampoo could do it herself. "Try that again and we're gonna have problems," Ranma angrily threatened his old adversary. "She's off-limits. Got that, ya lech?"

Still frozen in a pre-attack position, Shampoo stared wide-eyed at her pigtailed beau. As Ranma's stern warning to the ladykiller sank in, she allowed her arm to fall back to rest, and a look of satisfaction slowly crossed her face. Ranma had just protected her. Granted, he had done similarly during their date at Odaiba months earlier, but that was only from a group of common delinquents. This time, he had stopped the unwanted advances of a good-looking man. That simple act alone allowed Shampoo to see just how much Ranma cared about her.

Once Ranma had peeled his foot away from Mikado's face, Azusa popped up next to her skating partner and began prodding the affected area with her finger. "Does it hurt? Does it? Does it?"

There was an ugly cracking noise emitted from Mikado's neck as he adjusted his head back into place. "Perhaps another time, then," he conceded, pulling a small comb from his shirt pocket. After some quick grooming to his hair, he put the comb away and focused his attention back on Ringo. "Now, as for our talk..."

"What the heck would ya wanna talk to Ringo about?" Ranma asked, leaning back against the counter and folding his arms. Their reasons for being here were just as lost on him as they were on the Cat Café's waitress.

"Ringo, is it? A charming name for a charming girl," Mikado complimented the redhead.

*_poke poke poke_*

Azusa still hadn't stopped jamming her finger into Mikado's cheek, forcing him to grab hold of her hand to put an end to it. Naturally, she then used her other hand to continue where she left off until Mikado grabbed that one as well.

"As you should be aware, Azusa and I are known as the Golden Pair of Kolhotz High School. Without question, we are the pride of the student body," Mikado reminded Ringo, still fighting off Azusa's insistent attempts to break free of his grasp and continue poking him. "There is, however, one other celebrated athlete at our school who stands out above the rest."

"There is?" Ringo tilted her head, not really understanding where he was going with this.

"Yes, and I believe you are familiar with her," Mikado pointed out. "She is the finest gymnast to ever grace the halls of Kolhotz High. Her name...is Kiriko Nakajima."

"Kiriko?" Ringo gasped. "She...she goes to the same school as you?"

"That's right!" Azusa joined in on the conversation, apparently having grown bored with trying to poke her skating partner. "Kiriko's super good! Nobody ever beats her except the Champion!"

Next to them, Ranma looked lost as far as understanding what they were talking about. "Kiriko? Who's that?"

"So embarrassingly uninformed, Ranma Saotome. Kiriko will be Kodachi Kuno's opponent tomorrow," Mikado explained to the pigtailed boy, then turned back to the red-haired girl once more. "And Ringo, I understand you are Kodachi's second. If that's the case, I'm sure you realize just how hopeless her situation is. Someone who only managed to earn the 11th Seed in the Queen of Extreme Tournament, and she's competing against a gymnast of Kiriko's skill? It's painfully obvious that Kodachi has zero chance of victory."

Though Mikado Sanzenin was entitled to his opinion, his belief that Kodachi couldn't possibly win made Ringo display some rare displeasure.

Azusa was ready to pile it on, too, until something caught her eye. At the edge of the kitchen counter sat a plastic figurine in the shape of a very cartoonish dragon. With its buggy eyes and curled whiskers, it was something Azusa just couldn't resist. "Christophe!" she squealed, grabbing the small toy and clutching it to her chest. "You're just adorable!"

Not appreciating the childish girl's antics, Shampoo leaned over the counter and plucked the dragon from Azusa's hands. "That one belong Cat Café," she told her.

"Ahhh! Christophe!" Azusa cried, reaching out for the decoration in vain. "Give it back! Give it!"

Mikado paid no mind to his partner's woes as his talk with Ringo carried on. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Kiriko likes to...drive home the point that she is better than her opponent. In other words, she will ensure that both Kodachi and yourself are thoroughly humiliated," he explained to the girl with the ponytail. "I would just hate to see such a thing happen to a sweet, innocent girl like you, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to see it happen to Kodachi, either. So, please, I'm asking you to convince Kodachi Kuno to forfeit tomorrow's match. I think it would be best for both of your sakes."

The very idea of what Mikado was suggesting pushed Ringo over the edge. "I won't!" she loudly declared, drawing looks from all of the customers in the dining area.

"What? But...why not? Surely you don't believe Kodachi can win," Mikado said with amusement. His expression made it seem like the idea of Kodachi winning was a joke.

Ringo was clasping onto the edge of her apron tightly enough that her knuckles were turning white. "This match means so much to her...you have no idea. She's been training so hard, all just for this one chance!" she exclaimed, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I don't just think Kodachi can win, I know she can!"

Despite Ringo's seriousness, Mikado looked like he was trying to suppress his laughter at the response. "That's absurd," he shook his head.

Behind them, Azusa continued to plea for the plastic dragon. "Gimme, gimme, gimme! Give my Christophe back!"

Shampoo, deciding she was willing to bargain with the girl, held out her empty palm. "20,000 yen," she demanded.

Now presented with an opportunity to get her precious dragon back, Azusa turned around and began tugging on Mikado's shirt. "San-chan! Gimme 20,000 yen! Hurry!"

"20,000 yen?" Mikado finally gave his attention to the excitable girl. "What in the world for?"

Azusa pointed at the dragon in Shampoo's hand, jumping up and down all the while.

"For that silly thing? Absolutely not," Mikado solidly refused the request, returning to his previous business. "Won't you reconsider, Ringo? You know, I still vividly remember how touched you were to receive my kiss. I don't usually give a girl my special greeting twice, but if Kodachi were to forfeit, I may be willing to make an exception for you. What would you say to tha-...augh!"

Before he could finish his offer, Mikado was suddenly flattened against the restaurant floor by a dining area table wielded by Azusa. In a rush to get her dragon back, Azusa reached into Mikado's pocket and grabbed his wallet. She emptied it completely, taking the 32,000 yen inside—12,000 yen more than was asked for—and eagerly forked the stack of bills over to Shampoo.

"Is deal," Shampoo smiled, handing the dragon over.

"Yay! Christophe! Christophe!" an elated Azusa cheered. Her dealings here were finished. Grabbing the unconscious Mikado by the collar of his shirt, she looked to Ringo and stuck her tongue out at her. "Bleehhhh! Kiriko's gonna crush you!"

With that, Azusa dragged Mikado to the door of the restaurant, inadvertently bumping his head up against numerous chair legs and the feet of customers along the way, and the two of them finally disappeared.

"And don't come back," Ranma muttered. His curiosity aroused, he then turned to Shampoo. "Did that dragon thing really cost 20,000 yen?"

Shampoo winked at him, looking especially proud of herself. "Is no even worth 200 yen," she boasted.

"Hah! Nice!" Ranma laughed, and the two of them shared a quick high five for getting the best of the Golden Pair.

Even after the figure-skating duo had gone, Ringo was still steamed over Mikado's insistence that she ask Kodachi to forfeit. "I can't believe he wanted me to do that," she fumed.

"Hey, Ringo, you said Kodachi's matches are at the other girls' schools 'cause she's a low seed, right?" Ranma recalled the rules of the tournament. "Does that mean her match tomorrow is at Kolhotz High School?"

"Y-yes, it should be," Ringo answered. "Why?"

Ranma looked to be mulling over something in his mind. "Y'know, I kinda want to see that jerk Mikado's face when Kodachi wins," he said, glancing at the lavender-haired girl behind the counter. "How 'bout it, Shampoo? Feel like goin' to see the match?"

Shampoo had to give that one a little bit of thought seeing as how cheering for Kodachi wasn't something she ever envisioned herself doing. But, on the other hand, it was a chance to go out and do something with Ranma, and she was always up for that. And they _did_ have a good time at the last EGF event they attended. "Mmm...no really care about crazy Kuno girl, but maybe fun watch Ringo," she nodded her head in approval. "Shampoo go!"

"You're both coming? Really? That's great!" Ringo beamed happily at the idea. "Kodachi doesn't have any fans, so a little support would be nice, even if the rest of the crowd there is cheering against us."

"Hey, who knows. Maybe she'll have a few on her side after that last match ya told us about," Ranma tried to be optimistic.

Now that Mikado and Azusa were gone, Shampoo scoured the dining area to assess the current business situation. For the moment, she noticed, things had slowed down. There were half a dozen customers finishing off their meals, but no one else had arrived recently, which made it the perfect time for a little respite. "Ranma, you watch restaurant for few minute? Shampoo go take break," she told him.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Go for it," Ranma gave her the go-ahead. Shampoo had been taking a lot of short breaks over the past week, and Ranma knew exactly the reason for it.

Shampoo hopped over the counter, after which she would be heading for the door that lead out to the back of the property. As she passed by Ranma, though, she stopped, wrapped one arm around him, got up on her tiptoes, and gave him a long-lasting kiss on the cheek. A few of the customers took notice and watched, but Shampoo had never minded any of that. Once she was satisfied, she pulled her lips away and moved them right next to Ranma's ear. "Thank you for protect Shampoo," she whispered.

"Uh, y-yeah, don't mention it," a blushing Ranma looked away.

Ranma's embarrassment drew an amused giggle from Shampoo as she let go and proceeded on her way. He had definitely enjoyed that, she thought.

After she reached the back door, Shampoo opened it and stepped outside onto a small strip of land behind the building. The spot once contained just empty boxes and crates, but now a straw training dummy stuck out of the ground, as well. The area wasn't very spacious, being only a few feet wide and just slightly longer than the Cat Café itself. It was enough for Shampoo's present needs, though.

Since finding the scroll for the Speed of Light Fist last week, Shampoo had resumed her attempts to master the difficult technique that she'd begun to learn from her Great-grandmother so many months ago. It seemed so simple in theory; approach from the front-left, gather all of your strength, and strike with your right fist. The technique was so much more complex than that, though. Pulling off the move with as much speed as it required meant moving fast enough that no one, no matter how skilled, could pick up on it in time to avoid it. And with a window of time that small, executing the attack wouldn't allow for any thinking. She was going to have to train her body to react properly, and who knew how long that might take.

Still, Shampoo knew better than to rush this. She was going to do it the right way—the way her Great-grandmother had taught her. She was going to take it step by step. And the first step? Clearing her mind.

Shampoo moved to where she was facing the straw dummy. Closed her eyes. Exhaled deeply.

Only a matter of seconds would pass before Shampoo's eyes shot open again, though. Something was coming at her from behind. She could feel it.

Whirling her head around, Shampoo caught sight of a spinning object soaring over the wall and plucked it from the air with one hand. It was a cardboard box, small and white in color. And, as her nose was telling her, there was a scent coming from within that she recognized.

Shampoo opened up the box, where laying inside she found precisely what she suspected: a serving of okonomiyaki. It was a finely crafted dish—mixed with squid, shrimp, green onions, and other ingredients—capable of making those with even modest hunger drool. What most stood out about the okonomiyaki wasn't the alluring scent or the delicious look, though, but the message written in sauce atop the dish.

The message read, "_Tonight. Second field of Furinkan High. 9 o' clock. Be there, you coward._"

Undoubtedly, it had been sent by Ukyou. She had issued another challenge to her old rival.

Shampoo became aggravated upon reading the words inscribed with sauce, particularly the last one. The previous time she had seen Ukyou, the okonomiyaki chef had called her gutless. This time, she had called her a coward. They were fighting words, and it wasn't as though they weren't having an effect. Shampoo wasn't giving in, though. She hadn't let Ukyou get to her before, and she wasn't going to this time, either.

"Stupid Ukyou," the young Amazon growled, "...when Shampoo say no, Shampoo mean no!"

Rearing back, Shampoo took the open box and flung it like a frisbee high into the sky. Ukyou could wait at Furinkan High School for as long as she wanted tonight; Shampoo wasn't going to show up.

* * *

Not far from the Cat Café restaurant, a rickshaw was en route back to the Kuno estate with the master of the house, Tatewaki Kuno, aboard. A day of scouring antique shops and haggling with their employees had left the elder Kuno sibling seeking some relaxation, especially since he had come away from his travels today empty-handed.

"Sasuke, I grow impatient! Can you not move with more haste?" Kuno asked the one pulling the contraption.

"M-my apologies, Master Kuno! I am going as fast as I can manage!" the family guardian answered. The long day had left him exhausted.

"How shameful," Kuno sighed with disappointment. "And you call yourself the guardian of the house of K-mmmph!"

"What was that, Master Kuno? I didn't understa-..." Sasuke began to say, but went silent upon seeing his master, who surprisingly had something flat and round covering his entire face. "M-Master Kuno! What on earth happened?" Sasuke gasped, bringing the rickshaw to a halt.

Irritated, Kuno reached up and pried the object off of himself. "Unforgivable! Who dares throw this..._okonomiyaki_ at the handsome vision of Tatewaki Kuno?"

Despite the impact with Kuno's face, the writing in sauce remained intact enough that it was still legible.

"Oh? There appears to be a message," Kuno noticed the words. "Tonight. Second field of Furinkan High. 9 o' clock. Be there, you coward," he read it aloud. "This...this is...!"

"It sounds like a challenge, Master Kuno," Sasuke offered his opinion.

The arrogant practitioner of kendo held a similar thought. "Indeed, this is a challenge," he said in agreement. "A challenge...in love!"

"A...what?" Sasuke blinked.

"Do you not see? Clearly some charming woman who bore feelings for the great Tatewaki Kuno was deeply saddened by my departure. She has deemed me a coward, believing I fled from her love!" he explained to his servant. "Why, perhaps...perhaps it is even Akane Tendo! Did she not depart because of Ranma Saotome, but rather because she was so very forlorn without I? Augh! What a fool I have been!"

Sasuke was speechless. Somehow, he was amazed that his master actually believed what he was saying.

"Sasuke! Let us return to the estate at once!" Kuno commanded. "I must prepare myself..."

* * *

That night, after the sun had set and the skies had grown dark, a kimono-clad Kodachi Kuno sat alone on the walkway in back of the Kuno estate. Surrounded only by the sound of the crickets chirping, it was a nice place to quietly reflect on what lay ahead of her tomorrow.

Kodachi glanced back over her shoulder as she heard the door behind her slide open.

"Excuse me, Mistress," Sasuke appeared, apologizing for the interruption. "Miss Ringo has arrived."

Still wearing her pink waitress outfit from her job, Ringo stepped out onto the walkway to join the raven-haired gymnast. "Sorry I'm late. It got really busy at dinnertime today."

"It matters not," Kodachi patted the wooden boards next to her—an invitation for her second to take a seat.

While Sasuke disappeared back indoors, Ringo sat down next to Kodachi, her bare feet hanging just far enough down that the tips of the blades of grass below brushed against her soles. "Wow, it's really nice out here," Ringo admired the ambiance of the night. The sky was clear and the moon full, casting a glow down on the grounds of the estate that reflected beautifully off of the surface of the pond where Mr. Green Turtle slept. "Hey, is it really okay to not be training tonight?" she asked.

"Yes. Rest is important, as well," Kodachi answered. "We must ensure that we are in our best shape for the match tomorrow, must we not?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ringo saw her point. While she wasn't sure whether or not she should bring it up, the Saotome girl felt compelled to address the pair of unwelcome guests who had entered the Cat Café earlier in the day. "Kodachi, does Kiriko go to Kolhotz High School, by any chance?"

Kodachi quirked an eyebrow at the girl, surprised that she knew that piece of information. "Yes, I believe that is where we shall be heading for the match," she confirmed. "How did you learn of that?"

"Well, these two I kind of know from there came to the restaurant today."

"And?"

"And...they said you couldn't beat Kiriko, and they wanted me to ask you to forfeit the match. I told them I wouldn't, though! Really loud, too, so they knew I was serious!"

From the sound of things, Kodachi was almost certain that Kiriko herself had sent whoever Ringo spoke of for the sake of intimidation. Knowing that, however, only gave Kodachi more confidence. "She does not wish to face me," the Black Rose deduced. "That witch knows perfectly well she should not have emerged victorious in our first encounter."

It now occurred to Ringo that in all the time they'd been training together, Kodachi had never mentioned the details of her initial match against Kiriko. "Umm...it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but what _did_ happen in that match, Kodachi?"

There was a sound of fingernails scraping against the fabric of Kodachi's dark-colored kimono as the daughter of the Kuno family clenched her hands. It wasn't a memory she was fond of. She had already betrayed Ringo's trust once, though. If she didn't explain the circumstances behind her loss, would it lead her second to believe that she was just making excuses and being a poor sport? Whether that would be the case or not, it wasn't something Kodachi wanted to risk.

"As you know, we were both in that tournament three years ago," the gymnast began. "Though Kiriko had the skill of someone seeded much higher than she was, I was very much in control of our match. Regrettably, there was one thing I did not notice."

"Something you didn't notice?" Ringo blinked. "What was it?"

"Kiriko's second," Kodachi said, her face contorting with bitterness, "...she applied grease to the top rope around her corner. I attempted to use that rope as something to spring off of late in the match, and I slipped. Kiriko took advantage of that moment to knock me out of the ring."

As Kodachi spoke, she started to more clearly remember the feelings of grief and disgrace she felt after that match. Ringo could hear in the girl's voice just how torn up she was about it, too.

"I was the one trained by the great Katrina Winters. I was destined to become a champion and lead the Extreme Gymnastics Federation in her stead. And yet...I was met with defeat in merely the quarter-finals of that tournament," Kodachi said, her hands trembling. "My shame was too much to bear. I left the organization that day, and I did not return."

"So that's it," Ringo looked upon the Black Rose with pity in her eyes.

Really, what Kiriko and her second had done to Kodachi was no worse than the stunt Kodachi herself had pulled against Mizuki McLoughlin in the first round of this year's Queen of Extreme Tournament. With everyone's high expectations piled up on her shoulders, though, for Kodachi to lose in that situation, Ringo could only imagine how she felt afterward. More so than being upset with the ones who had planted the trap, Kodachi was probably upset with herself for falling for it.

And Ringo had seen how Kiriko acted at this year's qualifying event. The girl spoke down to Kodachi as if she truly believed she was the better of the two, leaving Ringo with little wonder as to why Kodachi despised her so much. Three years ago, Kiriko had probably rubbed her victory in Kodachi's face mercilessly afterward. Back then, her belief that she was better than Kodachi didn't appear to be the case. But now, at a time where Kiriko has been consistently competing and Kodachi is working herself back into prime condition after a long layoff, it may very well be true. To be seeded even higher than Sakura, Kiriko had to be good. _Very_ good.

"But now you have another chance. Right?" Ringo said with a smile.

That bright demeanor of her second was a welcome, calming sight for Kodachi after she had just dug up that unpleasant memory. "Yes, that is right," she said, returning the gesture, "...and I have you to thank for it."

Ringo almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. Genuine gratitude? Coming from Kodachi? It sure sounded like it. Granted, they _were_ getting along better now than they ever had before, but it was still a shocking thing to hear.

Not thinking much of the dumbfounded look on Ringo's face, Kodachi looked back out toward the estate grounds. "It has only been one month, but it certainly feels as if we have come a long way in that time."

"You have, for sure! I really haven't done that much, though," Ringo laughed, showing her modesty.

Kodachi was easily feeling better than she had a month ago, or even during her match with Sakura. Both her strength and her conditioning were at higher levels than they had been in quite some time. To say that it was only her that had gotten better, however, would be incorrect.

"No, we have both improved," Kodachi corrected the redhead. "Your throws have become more accurate, and you seem to have learned my patterns and are able to better predict which tools I will need. It is no exaggeration to say that our chemistry has improved greatly."

"Really? I guess I never noticed," Ringo thought back on her performance.

"You do not give yourself enough credit," Kodachi insisted. "You know, I must admit, I did not care much for you before you agreed to become my second."

Ringo faltered at the sheer bluntness of the admission. "Ahahaha, I, uh...I sort of got that feeling when you kept attacking me out of nowhere."

"Yes, well...I believed you were keeping Ranma-darling from me. That is old news, though. Water under the bridge," Kodachi coughed, making a concerted effort to move the conversation along. "The point is...my opinion of you has changed during our alliance. You are not the contemptible girl I once thought you were. In fact, you are actually quite..." she paused, then turned to avoid eye contact, "...tolerable."

"Um...th-thank you," Ringo managed a chuckle. Being called tolerable wasn't exactly the best compliment in the world, but it was _something_, and she figured she should consider herself fortunate to get even that out of someone of Kodachi's nature. "As long as we're being honest, I...was always pretty scared of you before."

Kodachi didn't appear to be put off by the comment as she gave a light shrug in response. "I suppose you had reason to be. I _did_ intend to force you to reveal Ranma-darling's location before his return, and by whatever means necessary at that," she said.

Ringo found the very thought of what may have happened had Akane and Ukyou not been there to protect her back then disturbing. "A-anyway, like I said, I _was_ scared, but...after seeing you take your training so seriously, and then being there when you wouldn't give up in your match against Sakura...I think I started to admire you a little," the red-haired girl told her. "And now when I look back on it, I'm glad I decided to be your second."

After everything that Kodachi had put Ringo through, that was definitely not something she had expected to hear coming from the girl's mouth. "Are you really?" she asked, batting her eyes.

"Mhmm," Ringo nodded and smiled.

The waitress' kindness was making it extremely tempting for Kodachi to go grab the present she had gotten Ringo and give it to her now. She was going to have to resist that temptation, though. The gift was something she wanted to give to her after tomorrow's match, and she was sticking by that plan.

It was a funny feeling that Kodachi was experiencing right now. Although this all started as her personal vendetta against Kiriko, she didn't feel like she was competing alone anymore. Instead, it felt more like she was one half of a team, and the other half was Ringo. She hadn't ever felt that way before when it came to gymnastics. A funny feeling, indeed. Yet, at the same time, it was...a nice one.

"Ringo," Kodachi looked the girl in the eyes, holding her right hand out toward her, "...tomorrow, we shall give it our all. We shall show everyone the fruits of our labor. And most importantly, we shall march into Kolhotz High School, bring Kiriko to her knees, and claim victory! What say you?"

Feeling infected by the impressive spirit of her partner, Ringo gladly clasped her own hand together with that of Kodachi. "Let's do it!"

"_Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!_"

The sudden sound of someone's yelling drew the gazes of both girls toward the sky, where a body was rapidly descending toward the Kuno estate.

*_crash!_*

Kodachi and Ringo both winced as the individual smashed into the roof directly above them. Pieces of tile fell down from above, and the person's body followed. After it slid down the roof's angled slope and over the edge, the body fell to the earth, flat on its back.

With the light provided by the moon, the girls could see that it was no stranger. The one who had fallen was the master of Kodachi's very estate, Tatewaki Kuno.

"Tatewaki! A-are you okay?" Ringo looked upon him with concern.

"Brother dear, have you been antagonizing Ranma-darling again?" Kodachi inquired, not appearing to be as worried about his condition as her second. Her brother did have a remarkable resilience, after all.

Kuno, who had an imprint covering half of his face that gave the impression he'd been hit with something hard and flat, startled the girls as he abruptly sat up and held his arms out in a daze. "Ukyou Kuonji, I knew not of your feelings," he said, then promptly fell to his back again.

As Kodachi and Ringo shared confused looks with one another, Kuno sat up for a second time. "Forgive me! Run into my arms, dear Ukyou!" he shouted, and fell to the ground once more.

"Did...Ukyou do this?" Ringo wondered aloud. She couldn't even imagine what in the world had caused Ukyou and Tatewaki to run into each other.

Kodachi just shook her head as she stared down upon her sibling's fallen form. "My dear brother's limitless passion does him no favors, does it?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the vicinity of Kolhotz High School, Kiriko Nakajima—her body shrouded in a comfortable bathrobe—was stretched out on a sofa inside the spacious living room of her family home. Her dark brown hair was wrapped up in a towel, her face adorned with a mask of pore-cleansing creme, and a slice of cucumber sat over each of her eyes. By all indications, she seemed more interested in maintaining her looks than in her upcoming match.

The gymnast remained still as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Of course, she knew they belonged to her second, an exceptionally organized and to-the-point girl by the name of Yuki. With very short, black hair, a pair of thin-framed glasses, and a clipboard that was almost always present in her hand, Yuki had the appearance of a promising businesswoman, and her attitude matched her look.

"I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it would appear that the Golden Pair failed to convince Kodachi's second," Yuki informed her gymnastics partner.

Kiriko kept a straight face to avoid damaging her facial mask, but her displeasure with the news still showed itself as she pounded her fist against one of the sofa cushions. "Tch! Useless idiots," she snarled.

"What should we do?" Yuki asked her.

The Extreme Gymnastics Federation's biggest diva took a moment to quietly think to herself. "I'm better than that overrated joke, Kodachi, in every way. You know I am, and everyone else knows it, too," she told her second. "But...I've built my entire reputation on my win against her. If by some fluke she beat me, it would all be ruined. Do you understand? I can't afford to lose tomorrow, Yuki."

The black-haired girl wasted no time jotting something down on her clipboard. She understood perfectly. "Well then, unless you have any objections, I'll get in contact with our...'insurance policy.'"

After adjusting her glasses, Yuki took her leave to make the appropriate arrangements. Kiriko had voiced no objection to her plans, as expected. Thanks to her second, the ill-mannered gymnast would be able to sleep well tonight.

"Too bad, Kodachi," Kiriko smirked devilishly. "All of your efforts to come this far, but you won't even make it to our match tomorrow."

* * *

**End of Chapter 15**


	41. QoE: Rush to Kolhotz High!

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"One, two, three...wait, shouldn't there be four clubs in here? Ah, there it is! Now, hoops, hoops..."

The day of Kodachi's match against Kiriko had come, and in a hallway within the Kuno estate, just outside Kodachi's room, Ringo was making some final checks on the gymnastics tools contained within four large duffel bags. It was five minutes past noon. She and Kodachi would be departing for Kolhotz High School shortly.

Ringo had stayed the night at the estate since she and Kodachi both agreed there would be a lot to do the next morning. It was the first time she'd slept outside of the Tendo household since arriving from China. And as she lay there last night, trying to fall asleep in a spare futon right next to where Kodachi slumbered, she couldn't help thinking about how funny life could be. Barely over a month ago, she was petrified of the twisted gymnast. And yet, there she was, sharing a room with the girl. Somehow, the one she once feared had become...a friend, perhaps, and for that, Ringo was thankful.

The sound of Kodachi's door sliding open drew the young Saotome girl's attention, and as she lay her eyes upon the sight of the one standing in the doorway, her breath caught in her throat. Kodachi had put on a leotard that Ringo hadn't seen before. Mostly white in color, it had the designs of several black roses along both the front and the back, as well as a number of stray petals floating near each of them. Both the flowers and the petals were designed using black sequins that sparkled brilliantly in the light. And in addition to all of that, running down the front-left side of the item was its wearer's nickname, "The Black Rose."

For Ringo, who had only seen Kodachi using her simple, green leotard meant for school competitions, the new look was really something. "Wow, it's so pretty!" she clasped her hands together, marveling at the gymnast's outfit.

"Isn't it, though? I do adore this one," Kodachi spun around once to give her second a full view. "There is no need to hold back any longer when it comes to appearances. For this match, I intend to go all out."

Kodachi had intentionally maintained a low profile going into her matches against Mizuki and Sakura, but now that she had the match she'd wanted all along, that tactic was going out the window. Kiriko, as highly as she thought of herself, likely wouldn't take the chance of underestimating Kodachi anyway—not when she feared losing so much that she would have her fellow students try to convince Ringo to forfeit.

"Do you remember our signals? And our combinations?" Kodachi asked the redhead.

"Mhmm!" Ringo cheerfully nodded. "I'm ready!"

Kodachi offered a hand, helping her second to her feet. "Then, Ringo...let us go!"

"_Mistress Kodachi! It's terrible!_"

Just as the girls were ready to leave, Sasuke came rushing into the hallway in a panic. "Mistress, we've had intruders!" the Kuno family guardian informed her.

"What?" Kodachi narrowed her eyes at her servant.

Sasuke led the girls outside, where an unsettling picture awaited. The Kuno family had two rickshaws in their possession, one of which was meant for a single passenger and the other capable of carrying two. And, as Kodachi and Ringo now saw, both of them had been broken down and reduced to piles of rubble.

"I'm so sorry, Mistress! So very sorry! They somehow managed to avoid setting off any of my masterful traps," Sasuke apologized profusely. He was bowing so deeply that his forehead touched the ground. "I assure you, I will give our security measures a thorough overhaul immediately!"

Kodachi was quietly seething as she stared down at the rickshaws' remains. For the moment, she couldn't have cared less about the failure of Sasuke's defense system. Instead, what drew her ire was the one likely behind this invasion of her estate, and she knew exactly who to place the blame upon for it. "Kiriko..." she uttered the suspected culprit's name, "...you would go this far, would you?"

"How mean. I can't believe she'd do something like this," Ringo picked up one of the split chunks of wood, her eyes filled with pity as she studied it. She had no personal attachment to the vehicles, but seeing them go to waste like this still saddened her. "I guess we'll have to walk there."

"Nonsense!" Sasuke emphatically objected to the idea. "To help you preserve your energy, I will carry you both there on my shoulders if I must! If it would atone for allowing this to happen, please allow me to!"

"No," Kodachi rejected her servant's offer, much to his disappointment. Normally she wouldn't hesitate to actually force him to do such a thing, but the current situation had raised a red flag with her. "Destroying our transportation like this will slow us down, but that alone would not stop us from arriving at the site of the match. If this is all Kiriko had planned, there would be no point to it. Is that not right?"

Sasuke tried to follow along with the logic of the Kuno family daughter. "So...you believe there are more traps lying in wait, Mistress?"

"Of course, there are. Kiriko's aim is likely to ensure that we do not show, and forcing us to travel by foot makes us easier targets for them," Kodachi explained.

Though it sounded like extreme behavior on Kiriko's part, Ringo didn't doubt the analysis of her gymnastics partner. After all, if anyone could be considered well-versed in the art of ambush, it was Kodachi. "What should we do, then?" the waitress asked.

After giving it some thought, a wicked look crossed the face of the Black Rose. She had something incredibly sinister on her mind. "Sasuke," she looked to the guardian, "...there is one other vehicle within the confines of our residence, is there not? A very safe, sturdy vehicle, and a favorite of my dear brother, if I recall."

All of the color drained from Sasuke's face as he realized what she was speaking of, prompting Ringo to bat her eyes with interest. She didn't know what Kodachi was talking about, but whatever it was, Sasuke looked absolutely horrified.

"S-surely you don't mean..." the family servant stammered. He was white as a ghost. "M-M-Mistress, I am quite certain it is not legal to-!"

Already beyond the point of reason, Kodachi cut him off. "Sasuke," she flashed a grin that reeked of evil intent, "...prepare the Leopard!"

* * *

For anyone walking the grounds of Kolhotz High School on this day, it was nearly impossible to not know of the gymnastics match being hosted there. A large notice, which sat just inside the gates to the school, both promoted the match and pointed the way to the gymnasium where it was being held. The path to the gym was lined with posters featuring glamour shots of the school's representative, Kiriko. And the gym itself, which was actually the ice rink converted for the occasion, had a promotional banner—also featuring a flattering image of Kiriko—above its entrance that spanned the entire width of the building.

Neither the notice at the school gates nor the banner on the gymnasium bothered to mention the name of Kodachi Kuno, instead choosing to label the event simply as Kiriko Nakajima's semi-final match in the Queen of Extreme Tournament.

And on their way to the gym, walking amongst a steady stream of Kolhotz High students who had made the journey to school on this Sunday afternoon, were two of the few not expected to be in Kiriko's corner today: Ranma Saotome and Shampoo.

"_Someone_ sure thinks a lot of herself," Ranma muttered as he and Shampoo walked along. He wasn't particularly impressed with the seemingly endless display of Kiriko's photos in his line of vision.

"Aiyaa, is very bad taste," Shampoo concurred with his feelings. The path was so offensively cluttered with posters that she felt a genuine urge to do the environment a favor and wreck them all. She'd never seen Kiriko before, but she got the impression that the girl was a massive egotist.

To their relief, the inside of the gym wasn't decorated as a tribute to Kiriko like the outside was. Unfortunately, that was only because there was no need for it. The students of Kolhotz High, who filled up a solid 60% of the bleachers, had more than enough paraphernalia supporting their school's gymnast to keep Kiriko happy. Signs, banners, and even t-shirts and thundersticks bearing Kiriko's name littered the sea of her fans.

Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori—who had her new toy dragon, Christophe, in her lap—were both comfortably seated in the front row. For now, the entire Kolhotz crowd was bunched together in their section of the bleachers. The remaining space, which would generally hold the visiting fans, was completely barren...except for one man.

"Ringo right. Kuno girl no have fans," Shampoo stared up at the empty section of seats.

"Yeah, sure looks that way," Ranma let out a soft sigh. He had tried to give Ringo some hope yesterday that more fans would show up on Kodachi's side, but it looked as if that optimism was all for naught. "C'mon, let's go grab a seat. Least we'll have plenty of room."

Ranma led Shampoo past the four-sided ring in the middle of the gym and over to the front row of bleachers on the other side, where Kodachi's lone supporter sat. That supporter was her brother, Tatewaki Kuno, age 19.

"Yo, Kuno," Ranma halfheartedly greeted the man he could never seem to get along with.

The once-named Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, whose face still showed the imprint of Ukyou's spatula, wasn't expecting the pigtailed martial artist's presence here today. "Ranma Saotome! You cad!" he stood up, angrily pointing his wooden sword at the tip of Ranma's nose. "Why have you come here? Seek you vengeance for the thrashing I delivered in our last exchange?"

"If there was a thrashin', I sure as heck wasn't the one on the wrong end of it," Ranma was happy to remind him. "We're just here to watch this Kiriko lose, man."

"Oh? Here to support my sister, are you?" Kuno asked with surprise.

Next to Ranma, Shampoo looked to have taken an interest in the new injury Kuno had obtained last night. "Why half you face red?" she asked Kodachi's elder sibling.

"Hmph. It is merely a consequence of playing the game of love," Kuno brushed off the significance of the mark. "A maiden's feelings can be quite complex, you know."

"Uh-huh. Who'd ya hit on this time?" Ranma pressed him further.

"That is none of your concern!" Kuno snapped, refusing to answer.

Her curiosity not satisfied, Shampoo moved in for a better look. "Mmmm..." she eyed the imprint closely, "...this one...is Ukyou spatula?"

"Really?" Ranma blinked. After studying the wound further, he couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. "Hey, you're right! Were you seriously hittin' on Ucchan, Kuno?"

"Silence!" Kuno erupted in a booming voice. He had zero interest in discussing last night's events any further. "Ranma Saotome...we have had our quarrels, but I will overlook your transgressions for today. If you have truly come to see my sister achieve victory, then let us cheer her on with all our might!"

Ranma was actually glad that Kuno had no desire to fight for a change. He wouldn't have wanted something like that to be a distraction for Ringo and Kodachi. Still, he had his doubts about just how much of a difference their support would make. "With all our might, huh?" he murmured, looking again at the expanse of empty rows above them. "Don't think it's gonna matter much with the crowd this lopsided."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in her locker room, Kiriko was keeping occupied by making some final adjustments to her appearance before the start of the match. She had her medium-length brown hair tied into a ball in the back, while single locks hung down in the front on either side of her forehead. The leotard she wore, a notably sleek piece of apparel, was covered from top to bottom in a red, black, and white camouflage pattern. There would be additional accessories added for some extra flare, but only when she was ready to make her entrance.

Kiriko was seated in front of a mirror, applying a coating of mascara to her eyebrows when her second, Yuki, entered the room with a clipboard in-hand.

"Kiriko, it's time," the dark-haired Yuki announced. She was dressed in a tracksuit with colors that mirrored those of Kiriko's leotard.

"Already? Ugh! They always make me rush my makeup," the gymnast snorted in annoyance. Then, eager to learn the fate of her opponent, she stopped for a moment to look at her second's reflection in the mirror. "And? Kodachi?"

"Not yet seen in the building," Yuki answered the question she knew Kiriko was asking, and she answered it with pleasure. "It would appear our insurance policy did its job."

Approving of the news, a pleased expression crossed the face of the Queen of Extreme Tournament's 2nd Seed. "Leave it to the Kolhotz Victory Assurance Club," she cackled to herself. "I guess we shouldn't keep everyone waiting, then. Tell them I'll be right out."

"Understood," Yuki replied, adjusting her glasses on her way out. Once she had left the locker room, she decided to check in on the Kolhotz Victory Assurance Club, or KVAC, one last time. Kodachi not being here was a good sign, but Yuki wanted to make sure things would stay that way. Grabbing a handheld transceiver that had been hanging off of her belt, she brought it to her mouth and spoke. "KVAC Team 1, what's your situation?"

Yuki waited for five seconds. Then ten. Then twenty. Oddly, there was no reply. "KVAC Team 1, do you copy?" she tried to contact them again. There was nothing but silence on the other end, though. Figuring there may have been technical difficulties with their device, she changed the frequency of her own transceiver and tried contacting another team. "KVAC Team 2, come in."

Again, Yuki waited for a response. But after thirty seconds, there was still nothing. "Is this thing broken?" she wondered, roughly tapping the device a few times. Opting to give it one more try, she changed the frequency to contact yet another team. "KVAC Team 3, please respond."

"_It's no good!_" a panicked voice suddenly cried on the other end. Mixed in with it was the sound of a loud rumbling noise in the background that only seemed to be growing louder. "_We can't hold her! Retreat! Everyone RETREAT!_"

The transmission from KVAC Team 3 was then abruptly cut off. Not at all delighted with what she had just heard, Kiriko's second raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her transceiver. "What in the world is happening out there?"

The KVAC unit was 50-strong, and yet it sounded as if they were running away from a mere two high school girls. It was a worrisome thought for Yuki, but she also knew that the point where KVAC Team 3 was positioned was still quite a ways from Kolhotz High. So long as they could slow Kodachi down, she found it unlikely that the Black Rose of St. Hebereke would make it to the gymnasium in time.

* * *

Out at ringside, as Ranma, Shampoo, Kuno, and a few thousand Kolhotz students awaited the start of the match, an important figure was scanning the crowd. That figure was the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's owner, Hiroyuki Tanaka, who was seated along with two of his subordinates next to the announcer's table. Dressed in his light gray business suit, the slender, older man with his signature mustache had his eye out for someone.

"Is something bothering you, sir?" one of his subordinates asked.

"Hmm? Oh, not at all. I was seeing if our Champion might be here to scout her opponent for the finals, but it seems she isn't," Tanaka turned back toward the ring. "Then again, I suppose it really wouldn't matter to her who wins."

Over the next few minutes, the number of fans entering the gym tapered off to only a few stragglers. During that time, three men had also dumped off half a dozen crimson-colored bags filled with Kiriko's tools next to the ring. Ranma and Shampoo found it strange that another set of tools hadn't been deposited by the ring's opposite corner, but neither suspected that anything was wrong for the moment. Then, as the clock wound down to the official start time of the match, a female announcer stepped between the ropes with her microphone. The crowd whistled and cheered for her appearance, knowing their wait was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's now time for what you've all come to see! Are you ready?" the announcer asked those in attendance. An energetic round of applause from the fans let her know that they definitely were. "Then here...we...GO!"

Right on cue, the lights in the gymnasium went out, leaving everything and everyone in total darkness.

Reminded of an enjoyable scenario that played out between herself and her beau not too long ago, Shampoo had an idea pop into her head. Moving her left hand over, she began feeling around for Ranma's arm. Then, once she found it, she wrapped herself around the muscular limb and leaned in close to his face. "Ranma remember what happen last time we in dark?" she purred, her breath tickling his skin.

Ranma was thankful that no one could see his face right now, because the combination of thinking about what happened in the Cat Café's storage room a week ago and feeling Shampoo's chest pressed against his arm at this very moment was making him feel just a bit on the uneasy side. "H-hey, you ain't plannin' on doin' that _here_, are ya?" he nervously asked her.

Shampoo giggled at the idea. She actually wouldn't have minded it. "Why you ask? Maybe Ranma want to?" she offered.

Even though he couldn't see the mischievous look on Shampoo's face, Ranma just knew it was there. Somehow, he had no doubt that if given the chance, she would definitely go through with it, even with an audience of several thousand there to watch.

Luckily for the far more reserved Ranma, the appearance of a spotlight shining upon the locker room exit signaled the start of one competitor's entrance, and, in doing so, let him off the hook. "Oh, hey, it's startin'!" he pointed to the light, diverting the attention away from himself.

"That too bad," Shampoo playfully sighed as she broke her grip on his arm. From the start, she hadn't intended to put on a show with Ranma for the Kolhotz students, but she did love teasing him. "We wait until go back Cat Café."

Ranma shot a bewildered glance Shampoo's way, not sure what to make of her closing remark. Was she being serious about that or not? He would have to let that thought brew for a while, as the first gymnast for today's match was ready to make her way to the ring.

Throughout the gymnasium, a lulling, mysterious piece of music began to play, and the students roared with approval knowing that their school's representative would be the first to enter. The music transitioned from an introductory sequence filled with chimes and various woodwind instruments into an electronic melody that felt like something from an out-of-this-world sort of dream, and it was then that Kiriko emerged into view with Yuki leading the way.

Just as she had done when she dropped in on Kodachi's quarter-final match against Sakura, Kiriko was carried to the ring atop a wooden throne—a new one cushioned by soft, red velvet to replace the throne that Sakura had ruined—that sat upon the shoulders of four strapping, shirtless men. She wore a scarlet, silk robe over her leotard, and a feather boa of similar color dangled from her neck.

Kiriko immersed herself in the love of her fellow students, waving like a member of royalty as she stared out into the sea of her fans through a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. And then, the coup de grace. With the spotlight following her along the path to the gym's center, a blizzard of reflective, red confetti began to fall from the ceiling, showering itself over everything from the ring to the onlookers in the furthest reaches of the bleachers. The whole scene was like something out of a fantasy, just as Kiriko intended it to be.

Once her throne had reached ringside, Kiriko stood up and flipped over the top rope into the middle of the ring. As the lights in the gym came back on, she twirled around twice, threw her hands into the air, and took in one last burst of cheers from her adoring followers.

"An effective and stylish entrance, as always," Mikado clapped, voicing his approval from the front row.

Not all in attendance had enjoyed the spectacle, though. As Kiriko's entrance music faded out in the background, Ranma and Shampoo, along with Kuno, were now stuck with the chore of picking the red confetti out of their hair and brushing it off of their clothes.

"I think I liked Kodachi's bomb-mixed-in-with-the-fireworks entrance better," Ranma complained, flicking two pieces of the confetti away from his shoulder.

Shampoo plucked another piece out of the boy's pigtail for him. "Ranma, you help get stupid paper out Shampoo hair," she demanded, looking plenty irritated.

"For once, we are in agreement," Kuno sided with his rival and Shampoo for a change. He was on his feet, swatting some of the remaining bits of confetti falling from above out of the air with his sword. "This accursed paper shall rue the day it fell upon the visage of Tatewaki Kuno!"

The men carrying Kiriko's throne moved over to the opposite side of the ring—the side nearest the gym's front doors—to clear the way for Kodachi's entrance from the locker room area. "Don't go too far," Kiriko instructed them, not yet removing her extra apparel since she didn't believe there would be a need to. "I don't think I'll be very long."

Kiriko's fans started to simmer down as the gymnast herself leaned back against the turnbuckle pads in her corner of the ring. Now, it was time for Kodachi to make her entrance. And _time_ was what she was certainly taking a great deal of to do so. As the seconds ticked away, those watching from the bleachers started to look around at each other, all of them wondering what exactly the holdup with Kiriko's opponent was.

"So...is Kodachi comin' out now, or what?" Ranma scoured the building for any sign of the Black Rose.

Inside the ring, Kiriko smiled knowingly at the locker room exit. No one was going to come out of there, but she and her second were the only ones in the building aware of that fact.

"_...dachi...Ko...chi...Koda...i..._"

Shampoo poked Ranma in the arm when her ears began to pick up on something. "Ranma, you hear what Shampoo hear?" she asked, listening closely.

"_...Ko-da-chi...Ko-da-chi...Ko-da-chi..!_"

Ranma heard it, too. "Yeah. And it's gettin' louder. Who...?"

"_...Ko-da-chi...Ko-da-chi...KO-DA-CHI!_"

They and everyone else looked to the gymnasium's front doors just in time to see them fly open with one swift stomp from a steel-toed boot. To the astonishment of the Kolhotz High crowd, thousands of students from Joudai High School in Tokyo's Suginami Ward—all decorated in pink-and-black attire and wielding nearly twice as many signs and banners supporting Kodachi as the Kolhotz students had for Kiriko—poured into the gym. And at the front of that mob, Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki, her face painted half-silver and half-black with the word "Black" written on one cheek and "Rose" written on the other, led the charge with a megaphone in-hand. "The Sakura Army is in...the...HOUSE!"

Kiriko, up until now as chipper as could be, had a nasty scowl on her face thanks to the new arrivals. "Sa-ku-ra...!" she hissed at the unwelcome gymnast.

Sakura's followers advanced further in, purposely bumping into the men holding Kiriko's throne along the way, and then flooded onto the empty section of bleachers around Ranma and crew. In order to make room for their large posse, many of them forced the Kolhotz students to scoot further down.

"Hoo-...hooligans! There is no end to them!" Kuno thrust his sword outward, ready to attack. "Saotome, I shall handle this! Do not interfere!"

"Whoa, hold on there, Blue Thunder. I think these guys are on Kodachi's side," Ranma quickly advised his rival.

"What? My sister would not associate with such delinquents!" Kuno argued, aghast at the very suggestion.

Spotting some faces she recognized in the front row, Sakura jumped up onto the space directly between Ranma and Kuno to address her crew. "All right, you crazy bastards! Today, we cheer for the Black Rose!" she bellowed into her megaphone. The Sakura Army followed up by chanting Kodachi's name at the top of their lungs.

Two seats over from Sakura, Shampoo leaned forward and looked to Kodachi's now perplexed brother. "Ranma tell you so," she smirked, rubbing her man's correctness in Kuno's face.

On the other side of the gym, Azusa was holding her hands over her ears to block out the chants. "Aaaahhh! They're so loud!" she whined.

"Such a raucous bunch. They have no place on our school's grounds," Mikado concurred, looking upon the wild fans with disdain.

Now that her crew had settled in, Sakura, grinning from ear to ear, plopped herself down next to Ranma. "'Sup, Loverboy! What'd we miss?"

"The Loverboy stuff again..." Ranma grumbled over the nickname. "Ya missed gettin' a bunch of confetti dumped on ya. That's about it."

"Hah! Perfect timing, then!" Sakura laughed. "Come on, 'Dachi! Get out here and beat this bitch!"

Kiriko sneered down from the ring at the pink-haired gymnast, then finally forced herself to look away. "Who cares? It doesn't matter," she muttered. "Kodachi still won't show up, and that means I've got this thing in the bag."

The bleachers, once with plenty of open space, were now packed to capacity. And with the distraction that the Sakura Army's appearance had caused now having passed, the focus returned to Kodachi's entrance...which still wasn't happening. As Sakura's fans continued to chant Kodachi's name, everyone's eyes sat upon the locker room exit, and they waited...and waited...and waited. Nobody was coming out.

"Hey, where the hell is she?" Sakura, looking for answers, threw her hands into the air.

"Ranma, where Ringo and crazy Kuno girl?" Shampoo peeked over at the boy.

Ranma would've liked to have known that himself. "Dunno," he shook his head, "...but somethin' don't feel right here."

The EGF's owner, Hiroyuki Tanaka, was growing impatient. In order to learn what the delay was all about, he sent one of his aides back to the locker room to investigate. A minute later, that aide returned to ringside, alone. "Sir, Kodachi Kuno isn't back there," he whispered to his boss.

Tanaka, looking none too happy, stood up from his chair. On a day when he was looking to enjoy an exciting match, it now seemed he had a difficult decision to make.

Up in the ring, Kiriko leaned over the top rope and peered down at the old man through her sunglasses. "If the coward isn't here, you know what to do!" she giddily waved to him.

That especially upbeat demeanor of Kiriko was starting to rile Sakura's suspicions. "Hey, Kiriko! What the hell did you do?" she growled at the underhanded girl.

"Me?" Kiriko, who was again all smiles, feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sakura bit down on her bottom lip, not believing that answer for a second. "Why, you little..."

The chants of Kodachi's name had died down and were instead replaced by the same confusion that had spread throughout the rest of the gymnasium.

The referee for the match, in search of some sort of decision, exited the ring and headed over to Mr. Tanaka. "Sir, what should we do?" she asked him.

Tanaka knew he had to make a call here, but what to do, that was the question. He didn't want to see a semi-final match in his tournament end in forfeit, and he knew the fans didn't want to see it end that way, either. On the other hand, it was Kodachi's responsibility to have been there at the designated time. He had to draw the line somewhere between what the fans wanted...and what was fair.

And so, the EGF's owner came to a decision. With the eyes of the crowd upon him, he held one hand up above his head with all five fingers outstretched. "We will wait five minutes!" he announced to everyone. "If Kodachi is still not here within that time, Kiriko will be declared the winner!"

While those supporting Kodachi breathed a sigh of relief, Kiriko wasn't a happy camper. "WHAT?" the brown-haired diva shrieked in disbelief. "That is WAY too lenient! Why does she deserve the extra time?"

"Five minutes, Kiriko! That's my decision!" Tanaka stood by his call.

Clearly upset, Kiriko took her frustration out on the middle turnbuckle pad in her corner by striking it with her knee. "Fine! Whatever!" she fumed. To make herself more comfortable, she took a seat on the top turnbuckle, and the countdown began.

Down below, next to the ring apron, Yuki found Tanaka's decision to be immensely nerve-wracking. Kiriko didn't know what she knew—that Kodachi might be approaching the school via some unknown but effective method right now as they sat and waited. Whether the extra five minutes would matter, she wasn't sure. It all depended on what Kodachi was using to travel, and whether or not the Kolhotz Victory Assurance Club could manage to impede her progress. The only certainty was that these next five minutes would feel to her like an eternity.

"You think that girl have something do with this?" Shampoo asked the snarling Sakura.

"Oh, yeah. It's written all over her pukey little face," the gymnast with wild hair continued to glare at Kiriko.

"Something undoubtedly must have happened to my sister," Kuno said in agreement. "She would not have missed this for the world. I cannot imagine she would be absent if foul play were not involved."

Sakura batted her eyes, turning toward the sword-wielding man seated beside her. "Sis-...ter?"

"Yup. Kuno here is Kodachi's big brother," Ranma gestured to his rival with his thumb.

"Whoa," Sakura backed away enough that she could take in a full view of the master of the Kuno household. "You seem, like, really _normal_ compared to 'Dachi."

Tatewaki Kuno nodded his head, understanding perfectly where Sakura was coming from. "Mmm, indeed. My sister can be rather...twisted at times," he explained. "The head on my shoulders, however, is quite level, I assure you."

"Yeah, right. She just ain't seen enough of ya to know what you're really like," Ranma corrected his former upperclassman.

"What? Do you imply that I, the great Tatewaki Kuno, am not levelheaded?"

"You heard me."

While Ranma and Kuno found bickering to be a good way to pass the minutes, Kiriko got some laughs out of her fellow Kolhotz students by raising her wrist up and looking down at it, playing out the act of checking the time on a wristwatch.

One minute passed. Then two. Then three. Then four. Still no sign of Kodachi.

"I don't have all day, Mr. Tanaka!" Kiriko finally complained to the older man. "I have things to do! People to see! Come on, come on, come on!"

The disappointment of how things had turned out today was evident in Hiroyuki Tanaka's solemn expression. Kiriko vs. Kodachi was an intriguing, fresh match-up for his organization, and yet, as the last few seconds until his deadline ticked away, it was becoming clear that the contest wasn't going to take place. "That is quite the pity," he sighed, dejected. Time had run out, and thus, he gave a brief nod to both the ring announcer and the referee. "Do it."

As the referee climbed back into the ring, Kiriko hopped down from her perch, elated. She knew what was coming, and the thousands in the bleachers did, as well. Motioning for Kiriko to come to the center of the ring and stand by her, the referee grabbed the gymnast's left wrist and prepared to raise her hand in victory.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer began, her very voice drawing both applause from the Kolhotz students and a great deal of venom from the Sakura Army, "...your winner, via forfeit..."

Sakura hung her head, just trying to control her anger with Kiriko as she waited for the result she knew she was about to hear. After all, she detested the EGF Champion, Priscilla, so much that she would probably be rooting for Kiriko when her title opportunity came, even considering what had happened today.

Ranma and Shampoo had no emotional investment in Kodachi winning, but they knew Ringo would be severely disappointed by this. That, and they really did want to see Kiriko lose, just to rub it in the faces of the Golden Pair, if nothing else.

And after seeing his sister rise from the ashes of defeat a month earlier, Tatewaki Kuno felt terribly for her. He hoped that she could maintain her passion despite this setback, but also greatly feared that she may regress back into the shell he found her in.

"...and moving on..." the announcer continued. In the ring, Kiriko was bouncing up and down on her tiptoes like an eight-year-old about to receive a big present for her birthday.

*_vroom...vroomvroom..._*

"...to the finals of the Queen...of Extreme...Tour-..."

*_vroooooom...vroooooooooooomvrooooooOOOOM !_*

The announcer stopped, allowing the microphone to fall to her side. Captivated by a peculiar noise coming all the way from outside, she then brought her eyes to the gymnasium's front doors. And the referee did the same. Then Mr. Tanaka and his aides. Then every one of the fans in attendance.

Something was coming. Something was coming _fast_.

"What the heck is _that_?" Ranma stood up, his curiosity over the noise piqued. Around him, Shampoo, Sakura, and Kuno got to their feet, too.

As soon as the noise reached her ears, Yuki felt a cold bead of sweat run down the back of her neck. She'd heard that sound before. It was the same one she heard before the transmission from the KVAC team had been cut off. "Don't tell me..." she gasped.

Kiriko didn't know what it was, but she didn't like the sound of it. She didn't like it one bit. "Hurry up and say that I won!" she screamed at the ring announcer. "Do it! Do it now! Hey-!"

Those in the bleachers nearest the gym's entrance got ready to move at a moment's notice as the noise grew deafeningly loud. Closer, and closer it came. And then, with the full attention of the building upon it, the source made itself known in grand fashion.

The gym's steel doors flew from their hinges as if they were made of paper, and chunks of concrete from around the doors' frame spilled onto the floor when a 68-ton, German-engineered _tank_ exploded through the front of the gymnasium.

"_A TAAAAAAAAAANK?_" the shocked students from both schools echoed in unison.

Kiriko stood frozen in the ring, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open at what she was seeing. There was an unstoppable war machine barreling through the Kolhotz High gym, and it had her dead in its sights.

* * *

**End of Chapter 16**


	42. QoE: Tanaka's Decision

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"_What's that thing doing in here?_"

"_This is insane!_"

"_Look out, look out, look out!_"

The Kolhotz High gymnasium was filled with pandemonium as a massive tank, covered in dust and chunks of concrete from the wall it had just smashed through, drove down the path to the ring with barely enough room to fit between the sections of bleachers. There were several people currently in its way, and one of them, the referee for the match, immediately bailed from the ring for her own safety.

Still holding Kiriko's throne atop their shoulders, the four shirtless servants of Kolhotz High's diva also found themselves directly in the war machine's path. "Screw _this_!" one of them shouted, promptly dropping his corner of the throne as he ran off. The others followed suit without argument, letting the throne fall to the floor in favor of getting to high ground.

Kiriko, who had been standing in the ring, stunned, now took notice of the unfortunate position her throne had been placed in. "H-hey! Don't just leave it there! Get back here and move it out of the way! NOW!" she demanded of her servants. The men, however, had no intention of putting themselves in harm's way again. Kiriko had bigger things to worry about than her throne at the moment, anyway. The tank was still approaching, and it only seemed to be speeding up as it came closer to not only the throne, but the ring, as well. "Stop, stop, stop! You stop that thing right now! Don't you _dare_ come any closer!"

"Kiriko! Get out of there!" Yuki, her second, yelled out to her.

Revving its engine even louder, the tank showed no signs of listening to Kiriko as it plowed right over her wooden throne on its way up to the ring's apron. Terrified for her well-being, Kiriko let out an ear-piercing shriek and dove between the ropes and out to the floor. It was a smart move to make, but it turned out to be an unnecessary one. The tank, showing some amazing precision, came to a complete stop with the barrel of its main gun just inches from touching the ring's ropes.

The tank's rumbling engine was switched off from within, and now only the sounds of everyone's startled reactions filled the gym.

"That was scaaaary!" Azusa Shiratori cried.

Next to her, Mikado Sanzenin was on his feet, taking in the disturbing sight of the gaping hole in the gymnasium's wall. "To inflict such damage upon our sacred rink...unforgivable!" he clenched his fist in anger. "Who would dare do such a thing?"

Those on the other side of the gym weren't clued in to the identity of the tank's operator, either, but one man looked especially impressed as he laid eyes on the hefty piece of machinery.

"Ahh, my Leopard! It is none other!" Tatewaki Kuno burst with pride over the performance of the tank. "Such mobility, such power! Truly, it is a work of art!"

Nearby, Shampoo and Ranma looked to their left, each of them giving Kuno a stare that questioned his sanity.

"That one...belong you?" Shampoo blinked with surprise.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Ranma barked at his old nemesis. "Why the _hell_ do you own a tank?"

Kuno raised an eyebrow, not understanding the pigtailed boy's inquiry. "Why, you ask? Why would I _not_ own a tank?" he countered.

Ranma opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Though he tried his best to come up with something, the more he thought about it, the more he saw Kuno's point. After all, this was the same guy who once had a sword possessed by the vengeful spirit of Musashi Miyamoto, and also the same guy who once purchased an egg of the legendary Phoenix. Was it really _that_ surprising that he had his own tank? "Never mind," Ranma grunted in defeat. "So, wait...if that tank's yours, does that mean the one drivin' it is who I think it is?"

Outside the ring, Kiriko's chest was heaving in and out with her panicked breathing as she tried to calm down. She could've sworn she'd just seen her life flash before her eyes. The absence of the noise from before made it seem as though the tank had stopped, but she was going to be careful in making sure of that. Cautiously, she crawled up to the ring apron and peeked out over the top of it. As she could see, the tank had indeed stopped, and she was just in time to see its entry hatch open up.

In a flash, the tank's driver sprung out of the circular opening and landed atop the base of the machine's gun, her raven-black hair falling across her left shoulder. The Sakura Army erupted in boisterous cheer at first sight of her, and Kiriko, the one who was moments away from being declared the winner of the match, was beside herself with dismay.

Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno had arrived. "Kiriko!" she bellowed the name of the one hiding behind the ring. Taking several steps along the gigantic gun's barrel, she leaped into the air, did a full horizontal twist followed by a vertical one, and made a perfect landing in the middle of the ring. "If you wish to keep me away, it will take more than destroying a rickshaw or two!"

Kodachi wanted nothing more than to hop over the ropes and wring Kiriko's scrawny neck after what she'd done, but doing so would be risking disqualification in their match, and she knew it. She was eager to bring some pain to the girl, but first and foremost, she needed to win this contest.

"Kodachi-!" the brown-haired diva hissed venomously. Just as the Golden Pair had done yesterday, the Kolhotz Victory Assurance Club had clearly failed in their attempts to keep Kodachi from showing up. And Kiriko's throne...what _had_ happened to her throne? Kiriko hurried past one ring post, then past another on her way to the opposite side of the ring, where she came upon the devastating sight. Her throne had become a flattened mess of wood and red fabric, having been crushed beyond recognition beneath the weight of the Leopard tank. Furious, Kiriko began jumping and stomping her feet into the floor like a child throwing a tantrum. "That! Was! Brand! NEW!"

Despite how glad she was to see that Kodachi had made it, and how much she loved seeing Kiriko mad, the gymnast nicknamed "Heavy Metal" looked oddly down as she hung her head in the front row of the crowd. "Ahhhh, she totally outdid me," Sakura vented. She then turned and grabbed Ranma by his collar. "A tank? A _tank_? Me ridin' out on my bike is supposed to be the best entrance in the EGF! How d'ya expect me to beat comin' in on a tank? Huh?"

"You're gettin' depressed over somethin' like that?" Ranma incredulously asked the girl next to him.

With Kodachi already in the ring, Ringo Saotome, dressed in a bright red track suit and looking somewhat nauseous, quietly made her appearance from within the military vehicle. Popping only her head out from the open hatch, she let out a groan of discomfort and collapsed her chin down onto the tank's roof. "I can't believe...I just rode in a tank. I think I'm going to throw up..." she uttered, trying to ease the sickness in her stomach. "Urk! Never again...never, ever."

As Ringo tossed Kodachi's tools out of the tank and groggily made her way out, chants of the Black Rose's name filled the gym. Now, for the first time, Kodachi noticed her very unexpected section of fans. And right there in front, from left to right, were Shampoo, Ranma, Sakura, and her dear brother. "All of you...?" she mouthed, overwhelmed by the sight.

Temporarily putting aside her relegation to second place as far as grand entrances went, Sakura rose to her feet and stood proudly before her army as she met eyes with Kodachi. "Told ya I'd bring friends, didn't I?" she grinned.

Sakura had mentioned yesterday that she would bring a friend or two, but Kodachi never imagined she would bring an entire mob like this. She wouldn't admit it, of course, but she was grateful for the move. With this, Kiriko's home field advantage may have been completely nullified. The younger of the Kuno siblings now looked to her older brother, who raised his wooden sword into the air.

"Victory shall be yours, my dear sister!" Tatewaki Kuno shouted with passion.

That her brother was there was no surprise to Kodachi, as he had made his intentions known last night. Nonetheless, she did appreciate Tatewaki's support. From the least surprising member of the crowd, she now looked to perhaps the most surprising one, that being Shampoo.

Still reluctant to throw her support behind her old rival, Shampoo instead waved to the red-haired girl stumbling along on the outside of the ring. "Ringo! Shampoo hope you do good!" she called out to the weary second.

Shampoo's selective cheering was fine with Kodachi. She didn't much care for the idea of the one who had stolen her man rooting for her, anyway. There was only one person left, and, with great interest, the Black Rose shifted her head to look at him.

"Ah, what the heck," Ranma gave in, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm rootin' for ya, Kodachi, so ya better win! Got it?"

"Ranma-darling..." Kodachi blushed at the words of encouragement. As much as she had tried to bury her feelings for the pigtailed boy, she couldn't deny that they still existed to some degree. And now, here he was, voicing his support of her. Ranma, Tatewaki, and the thousands of students that Sakura had brought along for the ride. It was an incredible feeling—one that brought a smile to Kodachi's face, and nearly a tear to her eye.

Kiriko wasn't about to let this end well for Kodachi, though. Not a chance. Spotting the referee, who had gotten back to her feet after a hasty exit from the ring, she ran over to her and grabbed her by the shirt. "You! Raise my hand right now!" Kiriko demanded of the official. "Those five minutes ended, and that means Kodachi didn't get here in time and I still win! ME! Now do your job and raise my hand!"

Raising Kiriko's hand _was_ the referee's job, but she had to wonder if that path of action had changed with Kodachi's sudden appearance. Unsure what she should do, the referee looked to the owner of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation, Hiroyuki Tanaka, for direction.

Mr. Tanaka, however, didn't appear ready to make a call just yet. Instead, as he surveyed the chaos all around him, he looked to be mulling over a decision.

"What? Were we...too late?" Ringo wondered, becoming worried when she overheard the commotion.

Kodachi was silent as she stood alone in the ring. With Kiriko's talk of a deadline, it wasn't hard to piece together what had happened here before she arrived. Preparing the Leopard had taken more time than she imagined, hence the tardy arrival of she and her second. She just hoped the promotion's owner would find it in his heart to give her a chance to compete. For things to end this way, without the match even happening, would be nothing short of a nightmare for her.

"Why that spineless little...!" Sakura fumed at Kiriko's behavior. "She's still trying to get outta the match!"

"She right, though. Kuno girl come too late," Shampoo pointed out. It was an unpopular opinion on that side of the gym, but it was also the truth.

The Sakura Army had picked up on what was taking place, as well. They came to see a match today, and they were going to let the decision-makers know it. Thus, with their thousands-strong voice, the group rang out chants of, "Let them fight."

"_Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight!..._"

"Shut up!" Kiriko screamed at the rowdy outsiders.

Tanaka could hear the chants loud and clear, but what to do? Kiriko wasn't wrong; Kodachi hadn't made it inside the gymnasium within the five minutes allowed. She was here now, yes, but would it be fair to allow her to compete? What move would be in the best interest of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation?

Declare Kiriko the winner, or let the match go on. It was Tanaka's call to make.

The older, mustached man beckoned for the announcer's microphone, and he gave the fans his decision. "Kiriko is right. Kodachi did not arrive before my deadline," he stated for all to hear.

Kodachi's heart sank in her chest, as did that of Ringo. Both girls felt like they could collapse to their knees after the EGF's owner had spoken. Was this it? Was it really the end, after all they'd been through?

Tanaka's words earned him a chorus of boos from the Sakura Army, but were met with an exalted reaction from a very happy Kiriko. "Yes! Yes! I win, I win, I win!" she celebrated.

"_However_," Tanaka suddenly continued, putting an abrupt end to Kiriko's elation, "...I'm not one to leave our fans disappointed. They all came here to see a match, and, for that matter, so did I. Therefore, I am officially reversing my earlier decision. Kodachi Kuno _will_ be allowed to compete here today!"

"Yes!" Ringo jumped into the air with joy. She regretted it as the nauseousness came back to her, though. "Ugh..."

Kodachi, who thought her chance for redemption had just come to an unceremonious end, was finally able to exhale. It wasn't over, she quietly told herself. It wasn't over.

"Man, Kodachi's seriously lucky," Ranma chuckled in amusement at the close call.

Shampoo nodded her head in agreement. "She very, very lucky."

"A fine decision!" Kuno stood up and applauded the old man for being lenient with his sister.

Sakura couldn't help snickering at how things had turned out, either. "The old guy knows what people want. Ya can't ever take that away from him."

The roof nearly came off the building as Sakura's fans, too, threw their hands up in approval of the decision. None of the Kolhotz students liked seeing their representative sided against, but even they had been looking forward to seeing the match, and thus there wasn't much complaint from their end.

Any and all complaining came from Kiriko alone, who went absolutely ballistic over Tanaka's call. "Are you kidding me? That's the worst decision I've ever heard!" Kiriko grabbed the EGF's owner by his tie and yanked him forward in her fury. She then used her free hand to point to the damage done to the gym by the tank. "Do you see that? Do you see what she just did to our gym? She shouldn't be allowed to compete! She should be in jail!"

"Yes, I do see that, Kiriko. The Kolhotz gym will clearly need a little work done after today," Tanaka calmly answered her. "You, on the other hand, seem to be very spry and in perfect condition! So, this match _is_ going to happen, and since we've already wasted so much time here, I'd like it to happen right now."

"No!" Kiriko angrily threw her sunglasses to the floor. "No, it is n-!"

"With that in mind," Tanaka cut her off, "...I am going to give you until the count of ten to get back into that ring. If you do not do so, I will award this match to Kodachi, and _she_ will be the one to move on to the tournament's final round!"

The tables had turned. Kiriko, who almost had a forfeit victory within her grasp, now found herself the one on the verge of such a loss. On Tanaka's command, the referee slid back into the ring, and the owner gave her the signal to start the count.

"_One...!_"

Irate, Kiriko ripped the feather boa away from her neck and tossed it into the old man's face. "You can't do this!"

"I can, and I am! Now get in there!" Tanaka ordered the upset gymnast.

"_...two...three...!_" the referee continued, and Sakura and her fans, always happy to fan a fire, counted out loud along with her.

Shedding her last extra piece of apparel, Kiriko tore off her silk robe and flung it into the ring apron, unveiling her camouflage-themed leotard. She was desperately trying to think of some way out of this, but her options had been fairly well exhausted.

"_...four...five...six...!_"

Inside the ring, Kodachi was getting an immense pleasure out of watching Kiriko squirm. As the Kolhotz representative laid eyes on her, the Black Rose curled her index finger a few times, gesturing for Kiriko to come join her.

"You don't deserve to face me, you trash!" Kiriko barked at her.

"_...seven...eight...!_"

Running out of time, Kiriko got up in Tanaka's face yet again. "Listen to me, you old goat! You call this off right now, or so help me, I'll-!"

"_...nine...!_"

Tanaka defiantly folded his arms across his chest. He wasn't going to change his mind.

Kiriko couldn't put it off any longer. Her face contorting with rage, she dove through the ropes and into the ring, making it in just milliseconds before the referee would have counted her out.

"Hey, way to go, Kiriko! I knew ya could do it!" Sakura mockingly congratulated her fellow gymnast from the front row, and her army did likewise with a tongue-in-cheek round of applause.

The match was officially on, and Kiriko was officially _pissed_. Out of frustration, she rolled to her feet and kicked the bottom ring rope over and over again. There was no escape for her. If she wanted to earn another opportunity to become the EGF Champion, she was going to have to face Kodachi again and put at risk the glory of her crowning moment—her defeat of the Black Rose three years earlier.

"Yuki!" Kiriko snarled, calling for her second to get up on the ring apron. The match they didn't expect to happen was now happening, and that called for an impromptu strategy session.

Likewise, Kodachi signaled for Ringo to hop up onto the apron for a talk of their own.

"Looks like it all worked out...except for my stomach," Ringo managed to force a smile despite her wooziness over the tank ride.

"Try to bear it for now," Kodachi instructed her. "Ringo, this is how we are going to start the match..."

While Kodachi and Ringo went over their game plan, the event's announcer retrieved her microphone from Mr. Tanaka. A lot had happened so far today, but one thing that had yet to take place was the formality of the gymnasts' introductions.

"Your attention, please! The following is a semi-final match in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation's Queen of Extreme Tournament!"

Whether they were there in support of Kiriko or Kodachi, everyone in the crowd felt good hearing those words. It was a sign that the contest they had all come to see was finally about to begin.

"Introducing first, the visitor," the announcer began, garnering a massive pop from the Sakura Army. "Coming to us from St. Hebereke School for Girls, she is the tournament's 11th Seed, Kodachi 'The Black Rose' Kuno!"

Eager to show their support, the Joudai High students started up their chants of Kodachi's name yet again, and Kodachi, now assured that she and Ringo were on the same page, took notice. It was a different feeling to see so many people going wild for her. Even the girls at her own school had never put so much energy into their cheers during her competitions. These were the same students who had rooted against her and even thrown toilet paper rolls at her during her match with Sakura, but that all seemed like an eternity ago right now.

Shades of the Kodachi of old, the Black Rose brought a hand to her mouth and blew a kiss out toward the section of her supporters.

"Y'see that? She's gettin' into it! That's the power of my army, right there!" Sakura boasted to Ranma and Shampoo. "Let's go, 'Dachi!"

"And her opponent, hailing from Kolhotz High School," the announcer continued, now sparking cheers from the other side of the gym, "...she is the tournament's 2nd Seed, and was also the runner-up in last year's tournament! Let's hear it for Kiriko Nakajima!"

The applause that followed from the Kolhotz students was decent, but nothing like what Kodachi had just received, and that fact incited one Mikado Sanzenin. "Is that all you have? Shameful! Chant her name! All of you!" he demanded of his fellow students as he bolted to his feet. "We mustn't lose to those outsiders!"

Spurned on by the tongue-lashing, the students, and Azusa, as well, started to chant Kiriko's name as per Mikado's instructions. Unlike Kodachi, however, Kiriko didn't blow a kiss their way, nor did she even look at them. Their representative opted instead to continue conversing with her second, completely ignoring her fans.

"Seconds down!" the referee ordered as she stepped to the center of the ring. Ringo complied immediately. Yuki, though, was taking her time to have some further words with Kiriko, and that drew the ire of the referee. "I said seconds down!" the official repeated herself, and this time Yuki did so. "That's better. Do either of you need me to explain the rules?"

Kodachi lightly shook her head in response, while Kiriko made no gesture at all. From the moment Yuki had descended to the floor, Kiriko had done nothing but glare at her opponent, and the referee took that as a "no."

The girls knew the rules perfectly. There were three ways to win: knocking your opponent out, your opponent landing anywhere that wasn't part of the ring, or your opponent being disqualified or giving up. Using anything but the tools to attack, using a forbidden tool that was too dangerous for the match, or someone's second getting physically involved in the match were all grounds for disqualification. The referee would count to ten at a gymnast's command if one of them knocked their opponent down. If the downed gymnast couldn't stand up by the count of ten, they would be considered unable to go on, and their opponent would be deemed the winner.

Ringo unzipped the duffel bags outside Kodachi's corner of the ring, and Yuki, after setting her clipboard down against the ring post, did the same. The match was ready to start.

"Kodachi, are you ready?" the referee asked, and was given a nod in reply. "Kiriko, are you ready?"

Kiriko, just as before, gave no answer as she persisted in staring a hole through Kodachi.

The explanation of rules was one thing, but the referee wasn't going to start the match unless she was certain that Kiriko was ready to compete. "Kiriko, answer me! Are you-"

"Ring the damn bell!" Kiriko suddenly snapped at her.

That was good enough for the official. With a quick flick of her hand, she signaled for the bell to sound.

_*ding ding ding!*_

And just like that, the rematch between Kodachi and Kiriko had begun. No more stalling. No more delays. No more excuses.

The fans on both sides erupted in a flurry of hoots and hollers, claps and whistles. They could tell how much these two disliked each other, and that made them all the more excited to see what would happen. It was an atmosphere absolutely full of energy.

Neither gymnast had moved from their corner yet, nor had they taken any tools from their seconds. Kodachi just looked around at the raucous crowd, taking it all in. This was it. She'd worked so hard to get a shot at redemption, and now she had it. Kiriko was across the ring from her. The bell had sounded. She had earned her chance, and now, in front of the thousands here bearing witness, she was going to make the best of it.

Kiriko didn't give a damn about the atmosphere or anything of the like. Still steaming over the very fact that she had to compete in this match at all, she took a step out from her corner toward Kodachi. "You think you belong here with me? You're nothing! NOTHING!" she screamed at the dark-haired girl. "You really think you're on my level? Huh? Then prove it! I challenge you to a club duel, right here, right now!"

Having been issued an unexpected challenge, Kodachi narrowed her gaze at her opponent. This wasn't the way she had anticipated the match would start.

"Club duel?" Shampoo batted her eyes. "Why Kiriko girl want that?"

Two seats over, Sakura didn't look especially happy with the turn of events. "She thinks she's a better technical gymnast than 'Dachi, that's why."

"Is she?" Ranma posed the question.

Sakura didn't have an immediate answer for him. She had faced both Kodachi and Kiriko, and based on those experiences, Kiriko was easily better. But there was another variable to factor in, that being Kodachi's time away from competition that had affected her skills during their match. With two weeks of further catching up, just how much better would the Black Rose be? How sharp had her skills gotten in that time? How much had her conditioning improved? "We're gonna find out, Loverboy," Sakura finally said to him.

"Hmph. Fear not, for my sister has worked tirelessly as of late," Tatewaki Kuno assured the others. "She will not allow herself to be beaten in any such competition."

Outside the ring, Ringo looked up at her gymnast, curious as to what she wanted to do. "Kodachi?"

"Ringo, change of plans," the younger Kuno sibling informed her second. She then shot a fiery look back at Kiriko. "I accept!"

A smirk crossed the face of Kolhotz High's diva upon hearing Kodachi's answer. This was just what she wanted. Now that she had successfully goaded Kodachi into a club duel, she had every intention of pulling the Black Rose into her pace.

The two seconds each tossed their gymnast a pair of standard clubs, and Kodachi and Kiriko, ready for their first exchange, stepped out of their corners. At first, they only circled each other in the ring, taking their time and measuring up one another. Then, Kodachi extended one of her clubs toward Kiriko, who tapped it with one of her own. That was their starting signal, and the two of them got to it.

A flurry of club shots flew between the gymnasts. They started simple and compact, then got more wild as both of them grew eager to land a hit. Kiriko took a swing from below that missed, then threw one from the left side that Kodachi ducked under. Kodachi responded by firing off twelve shots in a row. All were aimed at Kiriko's face, and all were successfully thwarted by the Kolhotz representative's defense as she blocked them with her own clubs. Kiriko broke the cycle by taking a strong swing from the side, which Kodachi deflected. Then another shot came from the opposite side, or so Kodachi thought. What Kodachi believed was a legitimate attack turned out to be nothing but a feint, and while her attention was focused on the club in Kiriko's right hand, that in the girl's left hand came up from underneath and rocked Kodachi's jaw hard enough that it made her backpedal a few steps.

First point: Kiriko.

"Yes! Yes! I told you, I'm the best!" Kiriko threw her arms up in victory. Yuki applauded her gymnast from down below, and Mikado, Azusa, and the rest of the Kolhotz students joined in on the celebration. So enthralled with her minor win was Kiriko that she climbed the turnbuckles in her corner of the ring and urged her cheering section on.

"She's that happy over one hit?" Ranma muttered, wondering to himself what was going through Kiriko's mind.

"Maybe is just act so get in Kuno girl head," Shampoo suggested.

The thought of someone outdoing Kodachi in the use of mind games was difficult to grasp, but Ranma could definitely see someone of Kiriko's personality attempting such a thing.

While Ringo was showing concern over her gymnast's small loss, Kodachi rubbed her jaw, feeling her pride hurting more than her face. "Are you quite finished?" she snarled at her adversary.

Kiriko hopped down from her corner looking incredibly upbeat, which was surprising to many considering how foul of a mood she was in before she had landed that hit. "Aww, is someone mad?" she gleefully taunted Kodachi. She then raised her clubs up, ready to have another go. "Want to try again?"

Twirling her clubs around in her hands, Kodachi lunged in and went on the attack. Kiriko was entirely on the defensive as Kodachi relentlessly tried to land a blow, backing her opponent up with dozens of swings. That aggression was just what Kiriko was counting on, though. The more frustrated Kodachi grew, the wider her attacks became, and when Kiriko saw one she liked, she took advantage. Kiriko threw her club out to block Kodachi's strike and jumped forward to attack with her free club. Kodachi caught on, but just barely as the club whizzed by the bridge of her nose.

Now Kiriko was on the offensive. She kept Kodachi occupied with a barrage of attacks from all angles that took all of the Black Rose's focus just to deflect. Then, after one particularly sharp blow, Kodachi noticed Kiriko stepping so close that her foot looked as if it would land behind the visiting gymnast. Kodachi, thinking Kiriko was trying to trip her, turned her attention downward to avoid the move. This, too, was a feint, though. Now that Kodachi was distracted, Kiriko pulled her foot back, stepped forward with her other one, and drilled Kodachi in the right cheek with her club.

Second point: Kiriko.

"Oh, yeah! All! Day! Long!" Kiriko gloated, and the cheers resonated from her schoolmates once again.

Kodachi, not even rubbing the spot where she'd been hit this time, stood silently for a moment. Then, avoiding eye contact with Kiriko, she backed up into her corner, grabbed the top rope on either side of her, and squatted down next to the canvas. After two straight losing exchanges, she had some regrouping to do.

"Damn it! She's falling for Kiriko's feints!" Sakura gritted her teeth in the bleachers. "C'mon, 'Dachi. You can't choke _now_."

After that last hit, Ringo had become even more worried. As she looked up at Kodachi, she could see that the gymnast had her eyes closed. What was going on her mind right now, Ringo didn't know, but she was going to give her partner some encouragement. "Kodachi, you can do this!" she told her. "I know how far you've come since the last match, and I know you can beat Kiriko! You have to believe in yourself!"

Kiriko, just to rub her superiority in even further, went to every side of the ring and raised a hand to her ear to listen to the crowd's reaction. The response was positive where the Kolhotz students sat, of course, while a storm of booing and hissing rained down from the Sakura Army. To Kiriko, anything she could do to antagonize that bunch was well worth it.

"Sister, be not discouraged!" Tatewaki Kuno shouted to his younger sibling. "Stand! Stand and fight as a proud Kuno!"

Her eyes opening again, Kodachi took one last deep breath, then stood herself back up. She slowly stepped toward the center of the ring, where Kiriko waited, grinning at her like a jackal.

"One more time," Kodachi requested.

All too willing to oblige, Kiriko performed a "bring it" motion with her hands. "Let's go, trash."

Kodachi moved in and went right at Kiriko with another speedy assault. Over and over again, Kodachi swung away to try to connect with the brown-haired gymnast's face, but Kiriko was managing to protect herself from every single one of them. And now, Kodachi's swings were getting wild. This exchange was playing out exactly as the last one had.

"_Is she that stupid?_" Kiriko wondered to herself with amusement. "_If she's going to make it easy for me, I'll go right ahead and take it._"

The Black Rose took another wide swing, and Kiriko was ready. Just like last time, she batted it away and closed in on Kodachi to score another hit. This wasn't going to end the same way it had before, though. This time, Kiriko was abruptly stopped in her tracks as the base of a club came seemingly from out of nowhere and connected with her forehead.

"Ngah!" Kiriko yelped in surprise.

The diva had taken the bait. Knowing that Kiriko would go for the opportunity if it presented itself again, Kodachi feigned being outmatched. Then, as soon as Kiriko made her move, Kodachi literally threw her club at the girl's face. And now that Kiriko was stunned, the gymnast from St. Hebereke was going to finish in style.

Kodachi grabbed the club she'd thrown out of the air as it bounced off of Kiriko's face. Kiriko, knocked back by the blow, held her clubs out to protect herself as she tried to regain her composure, but Kodachi swatted them out of the way with a powerful upward blow. With Kiriko's guard gone, Kodachi followed through on her motion and delivered a thunderous uppercut to the Kolhotz gymnast's chin with the club she'd just reclaimed. Kiriko was knocked up into the air before falling rear-first on the ring mat and collapsing back against the bottom ring rope.

Third point: Kodachi.

"Yes! She did it!" Ringo pumped her fist in Kodachi's corner.

The Joudai High crowd jumped up in jubilation over Kodachi's first strike, and Sakura was no exception. "'Atta girl, 'Dachi!" she shouted.

"Hey, how 'bout that?" Ranma laughed.

Shampoo kept any joy she may have had very tempered. "Least this no be boring," she allowed.

"Did I not say there was no need for worry?" Tatewaki Kuno bragged. "My sister shall never allow this detestable woman to defeat her."

Still down after the shot to her chin, Kiriko appeared stunned by what had just taken place. She couldn't believe she'd just fallen for Kodachi's trap. In fact, she wouldn't let herself believe it. There had to be some other explanation, she thought. One thing was undeniable, though: she was down, and Kodachi wasn't.

Kodachi, still glaring at her nemesis, raised her clubs above her head in victory with the Sakura Army loudly chanting her name in the background. "Now who is the trash?" she taunted her fallen foe.

Kiriko's momentum had vanished. Enraged over the sight of Kodachi enjoying her successful strike, she chucked her clubs out of the ring in anger. "Enough of this!" she shrieked. "Yuki!"

Knowing exactly what her gymnast wanted, Yuki took a black-colored hoop and a dark red club out of her collection of tools and passed them through the ropes to Kiriko.

In reaction to the change, Kodachi backed away to a safe distance. Their club duel, she figured, was over.

As she got back up on one knee, Kiriko took the hoop into her right hand and the club into her left. Shielded from Kodachi's vision, she pressed a small button on the hoop, which made a faint clicking noise that only she was able to hear over the energetic crowd. "No more screwing around," she cackled coldly to herself as she sized up the Black Rose. "Now, Kodachi...I'll show you what I've learned over the past three years!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 17**


	43. QoE: Rhythm Dance

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**_by rkOujirou_**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Before an upbeat crowd of thousands at the Kolhotz High gymnasium, Kiriko gripped her newly-acquired black hoop in her right hand and set her sights on Kodachi. After being embarrassed by losing the third exchange in their club duel and suffering the first knockdown of the match, Kiriko had vowed to show Kodachi what she had learned since their last match three years ago. Now, she was going to do just that.

"Eat this, Kodachi!" Kiriko yelled. Reaching back, she hurled the hoop straight toward Kodachi's face.

Kodachi, though, needed only to tilt her head to the side to cause the hoop to miss its target and fly off behind her. "What exactly did you learn? How to miss?" she mocked Kiriko's empty declaration. "Oh, how silly of me. You knew how to do that during our last match, as well."

Still armed with her dual clubs, Kodachi moved in to engage in some close combat with Kiriko, who now had only the one red club that Yuki had passed to her. Even though she was at a clear disadvantage, however, Kiriko looked nothing but pleased with the current situation as she grinned at the approaching gymnast.

"Kodachi, look out behind you!" Ringo suddenly shouted from the floor.

Ringo's warning came too late. Kodachi's head snapped forward as the same hoop Kiriko had just thrown came back around and struck the back of her skull. Kodachi hadn't seen it before, and even now she just barely caught a glimpse of it, but there appeared to be a string connecting Kiriko's finger and the hoop.

With Kodachi off-balance, Kiriko now looked to put her single club to use. She swung away, aiming for the side of Kodachi's head. Luckily for Kodachi, she wasn't rattled enough that she couldn't see the attack coming. Planting her foot against the mat, she threw her upper body back, and all Kiriko's club managed to do was whiz by her ear.

Kodachi attempted to stand up straight and regain her balance, and it was only then that she noticed something was amiss. "Wh-...what is..." her voice trailed off. Kiriko's club swing hadn't hit its mark, and yet there was a loud ringing in Kodachi's ear for some reason. She felt dizzy, too, and she was having a difficult time just staying upright because of it.

"What wrong with her? Hoop hurt that much?" Shampoo took notice of Kodachi's awkward movement.

"The club missed, so it's gotta be," Ranma assumed.

"It didn't miss," Sakura immediately corrected him, pointing to the tool in question. "Take a good look at that club of hers."

As Ranma and Shampoo would notice, there _was_ something peculiar about Kiriko's club. "Is full of holes?" Shampoo made the curious observation.

"You got it. That thing's not meant to land a hit when it's used. It's got something funky goin' on in it that makes it put out this wicked noise when it goes by your ear, and it makes ya feel like you drank one too many beers," Sakura explained to them.

"Sound, huh? I've heard of martial artists usin' weapons like that before, but I never thought I'd see it here. That's actually kinda impressive," Ranma had to admit.

"Kiriko's got a string attached to that hoop, too, and she uses it like a yo-yo. That and the weird club are one of her favorite combos," Sakura added. "Now...I wonder if she's gonna use _that_ next."

Kodachi had to grab onto the top ring rope as she continued to struggle with her equilibrium, and Ringo had no idea what was happening to her. "Kodachi, what's wrong? Are you okay?" the concerned second called out to her partner.

Kiriko tossed aside her hoop and club, and then grabbed from the air a pair of ribbons that Yuki had tossed to her. It was time to take advantage of the golden opportunity. Still grinning like a jackal, she whipped one ribbon forward, wrapping it around Kodachi's feet. She then yanked on it, causing Kodachi to lose her footing and fall down onto the middle rope. The second ribbon came into play next as Kiriko wrapped it around Kodachi's throat this time.

With her setup complete, Kiriko strung the second ribbon under and around the top rope and used it to pull Kodachi upward by her neck. Once she had Kodachi at the right height, she put all of her force into yanking on both ribbons. With the top rope between the two gymnasts, and Kiriko pulling on ribbons wrapped around Kodachi's ankles and throat, Kodachi's body wound up being viciously stretched out like a bow about to fire an arrow. It was a move only Kiriko used, and one of very few submission maneuvers in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation—a move she liked to call the Queen's Contempt.

"Damn! She got it on!" Sakura jolted to her feet in the front row.

"Kodachi!" Ringo cried out. This was all unfolding right in front of her, as Kiriko had set her hold up near Kodachi's corner of the ring.

Having her body stretched out like this was painful, but Kodachi couldn't even scream with the ribbon wrapped around her windpipe. Her hands were clutching at the ribbon, desperately trying to pull it away so that she could breathe, but she wasn't having much luck. The match had barely started and already she'd gotten herself into a dire situation.

"That's it! How's it feel not being able to breathe, Kodachi?" Kiriko gleefully taunted her struggling opponent. "You can't do anything about it, either, so you might as well just give up! Even if you don't, you'll pass out soon enough, and then all it'll take is a quick ten count and I'll beat you again! Hahahahahaaa!"

The referee was watching Kodachi's hands closely to see if the Black Rose would tap out. Kodachi wasn't going to endure that humiliation, though. Against Kiriko, she would rather lose consciousness than quit.

While Kodachi continued to fight off a seemingly impending loss, Ringo was racking her brain over what she could do to help. "_Okay, okay, calm down,_" she silently told herself. "_Kodachi can't move, but her arms are still free, so...maybe there's something we can use!_"

Ringo dropped down and began digging through Kodachi's bags of tools with a fury. Something, something...there had to be something in one of them that could work. Kodachi couldn't see Kiriko since she was facing away, and there was a few feet of distance between them. That eliminated a lot of options, but still...there had to be something!

Then, at the bottom of one of the bags, Ringo believed she had found that something. "That's it!" she exclaimed.

Kiriko, pulling on the twin ribbons with all her might, had her body arching upward and her head facing the gym's ceiling, and thus she didn't notice Ringo passing something to the restrained Kodachi. "Stop fighting it, Kodachi! You can't get out!" Kiriko screamed. She tilted her head down to be able to check on Kodachi's condition, but then something caught her attention. There was a black nozzle poking out from behind Kodachi's shoulder, and it was pointed right at her.

Before Kiriko could even discern what the nozzle belonged to, she was blasted in the face with a white, dry chemical powder. Her vision and breathing compromised, Kiriko flopped down to the ring mat, letting go of her ribbons and freeing Kodachi in the process. Kodachi, gasping for air, fell forward over the middle ring rope and landed on the ring apron next to where Ringo stood. As everyone could now see, the item the Black Rose had in her possession was a red fire extinguisher.

"Kodachi, are you okay?" Ringo moved closer to check on her.

Kodachi was too preoccupied with unraveling Kiriko's ribbon from her neck to answer, but, from the looks of things, she was still able to go on.

"Whoa, nice save, Ringo," Ranma lauded the efforts of his former female half.

"Thank god," Sakura was finally able to relax and sit back down. "I thought 'Dachi was done for."

Kiriko, meanwhile, was more focused on clearing the powder away from her face than taking the chance to knock Kodachi off the ring apron. With the referee visible in her sights, she crawled over to her and used the official's striped shirt to wipe the fire extinguisher's contents away from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

"What do you think you're doing? Let go!" the referee chided her.

Once Kodachi had both ribbons successfully removed and some air back in her lungs, she slipped under the bottom rope and back into the ring, still with the fire extinguisher in-hand. Though still trying to catch her breath, she actually managed to make it back to her feet before Kiriko did. Now it was time for some payback. The fans knew what she had in mind, too. They could see it in her eyes.

Kiriko pulled herself to her feet using the ropes, and Kodachi was waiting with the fire extinguisher aimed right at her. To the great pleasure of the Sakura Army, Kodachi pressed down on the operating lever, and Kiriko, along with half of the ring, became shrouded in a white cloud. Kiriko hit the mat again and flailed around like a fish out of water as Kodachi relentlessly sprayed her with the pressurized powder.

"Stop...*_cough!_*...stop tha-...*_cough! hack!_*...aaaaaahhhhh!" Kiriko pleaded to no avail.

"Who did you say should give up? _Who?_" Kodachi derided her opponent while she was down. She was loving every bit of this.

By the time Kodachi had gotten her fill and cut off the fire extinguisher, Kiriko was a dazed, powdery mess. Her entire figure—hair, leotard and all—was covered in the flame-dousing material. And things weren't about to get any better for her. As Kiriko got back to her feet, Kodachi grabbed the extinguisher by its lever and swung the entire canister forward, smashing Kiriko square in her forehead and knocking her flat on her back.

"Aiyaa, that one hurt..." Shampoo cringed as she heard the clank of the canister colliding with Kiriko.

"Hell yeah! What a hit!" Sakura gleamed with joy at Kodachi's attack.

Over on the other side of the ring, Azusa was up and jumping around, beside herself over the hit Kiriko had just taken. "Kiriko! Nooo!" she cried.

"Calm down," Mikado instructed her. "A blow like that won't be enough to keep down the finest gymnast Kolhotz High has to offer."

Kodachi tossed the extinguisher out of the ring, then turned her attention to the referee. "Count!"

The referee did just that as she began her ten count for the downed Kiriko. "_One...two...three...!_"

Though she was seeing stars from the blow to her head, Kiriko was aware enough to know she was being counted down. She flopped over onto her stomach and grabbed at the bottom rope, using it to help bring herself up.

"_...four...five...!_"

Kiriko grabbed the middle rope, followed by the top one as she continued working her way back to an upright position. To her benefit, it was still early in the match, meaning she had plenty of energy left in her.

"_...six...se-...!_" the referee stopped herself. At six-and-a-half, Kiriko—who had a fresh red mark on her head where the fire extinguisher had hit—made it back to her feet.

But, by the time Kiriko was up, Kodachi already had something else cooking. On one side of the ring, she had a ribbon raised above her head and twirling around her body. The ribbon quickly got up to full speed, and at that point caused a torrent of wind circling around Kodachi to envelop the entire ring. And mixed in with that wind was a signature of the younger Kuno sibling: a plethora of black rose petals.

Kiriko held her hands up in front of her face to shield herself from the wind and petals. "This is...she did this against Sakura, but...it's different!" she noticed.

"Kiriko!" Yuki called out to her partner. Sensing trouble, she tossed Kiriko a ribbon and a club to use however she felt necessary.

"Let us see how you fare against this," Kodachi gleamed with confidence. "Ringo, now! Club Cannon!"

Ringo began tossing clubs from one specific duffel bag into Kodachi's ribbon, and just as the move's name implied, the clubs shot toward Kiriko as if they were fired out of a cannon. In a quick move to protect herself, Kiriko began whirling her ribbon back and forth in front of her. Kodachi was actually surprised with the result. Ringo was tossing clubs up as quick as she could, but Kiriko was successfully deflecting every single one that came her way. Even with the wind and rose petals making conditions difficult, Kolhotz High's diva was still managing to control her ribbon.

Unfortunately for Kiriko, she was putting forth a lot more effort to defend herself than Kodachi was putting forth to attack. Then, when a stray rose petal hit her in the eye, Kiriko's concentration was broken just enough for her defense to fall. The Sakura Army roared as club after club began to strike Kiriko head on. With nowhere to run, she had no choice but to cross her arms in front of her to protect her face while she waited for Ringo to run out of clubs...or so she initially thought.

Through the small viewing space around her arms, Kiriko was able to discern a glaring weakness in Kodachi's attack. Keeping covered up as she took several more hits, she rolled forward along the mat until she was on Kodachi's left side.

"_She found out,_" Kodachi thought. Because Ringo was tossing clubs from one spot, they always shot toward the same area after striking Kodachi's ribbon barrier. By rolling around to Kodachi's side, the clubs had no way to hit Kiriko unless Ringo changed positions, which she didn't have time to do.

"At least give me a challenge, Kodachi!" Kiriko boasted. She lunged toward the Black Rose and jammed her club into the ribbon to stop it.

The club pierced the barrier and disrupted the ribbon's flow, but it wasn't done with enough force to maintain its course. The club, and Kiriko's arm along with it, ended up being knocked away, and Kodachi took full advantage. With a club of her own waiting in her free hand, Kodachi slammed it into the chin of her unprepared opponent.

"Well played, sister!" Tatewaki Kuno applauded Kodachi's tact.

Kiriko backpedaled a few steps, and Kodachi took off after her. Kodachi tried to strike her again, but Kiriko was able to regain her composure and blocked the attack with her own club. For a moment, the two were locked in a stare down as they held their tools in front of themselves. Then, with a little push-off, Kodachi sprung back to the far side of the ring.

Curiously, Kodachi again began twirling her ribbon around herself—this time in the opposite direction to account for her altered ring position. She was going to execute her Club Cannon a second time, despite knowing that Kiriko had found out how to counter it. Ringo wasn't sure what Kodachi was thinking, either, but she wasn't going to question her. She did the same as last time, hurling clubs into the ribbon one after the other.

"You really think that'll work again?" Kiriko snarled at her opponent. For Kodachi to attempt this once more was an insult to the Kolhotz representative's intelligence. Kiriko whipped her ribbon around to knock the clubs away again, and she wasn't going to wait for a petal to smack her in the eye this time. She succeeded in getting herself out of harm's way and rolled to Kodachi's right this time. Kiriko then rushed forward and drove her club into the ribbon, this time with all of her strength to avoid being left in a vulnerable position. This time, though, the ribbon suddenly exploded into a blinding mass of black rose petals.

"What?" Kiriko gasped.

Unable to see, Kiriko still followed through with her attack, but Kodachi wasn't there anymore. All the gymnast could make out within the storm of petals was a single club that was mixed in with them. And, as she soon found out, it was no ordinary tool. The club emitted a short-lived, but blindingly bright flash of light, and Kiriko threw herself back to the canvas with her hands over her affected eyes, screaming in frustration. "What the hell was that?" she angrily fumed.

Atop one of the ring posts, Kodachi smiled down upon her fallen nemesis. "Ringo! Ribbon!" she called out to her second, and was quickly tossed the tool she desired. "Now then, what to use...ooh, that looks fun!"

Spotting something to her liking, Kodachi whirled her ribbon around and flung it toward the announcer's table outside the ring, where it wrapped itself around the ring bell used to signal the start and end of the match.

Kiriko flailed her arms around in search of one of the ring ropes, and then, once she found one, hurried back to her feet. She wouldn't remain that way for very long, though. Still blinded by the modified club's flash, she never saw Kodachi's ribbon—with bell attached—swinging toward her. There was a resounding "ding" as the bell smashed her square in the nose, and Kiriko was knocked flat on her back again.

While the Kolhotz students looked on in dismay, the Sakura Army again roared in favor of Kodachi.

"Hey, she tried that against me, too," Ranma recalled, albeit not too fondly. "Good thing it hit Ryouga instead."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked, giving Ranma a funny look. "What's that mean? You sayin' you had a match against 'Dachi?"

Realizing what he'd just let slip, Ranma turned away from Sakura. "Uh, no...well...never mind," he grunted in defeat. He really didn't want to get into an explanation of his curse right now.

"That right. Ranma beat Kuno girl before," Shampoo chimed in, amused by the topic.

"What? Seriously? Even though you're a guy?" Sakura stared closely at Ranma, dumbfounded. "When the heck was this?"

Ranma slapped a hand over his face. Why, oh why, did Shampoo have to keep this going, he wondered?

"Referee, count! Count her down!" Kodachi ordered the official back in the ring.

Once again, the count began for Kiriko. "_One...two...!"_

Kiriko, who had blood dripping from her left nostril after it was just smashed by the bell, looked to be in a total daze. Outside the ring, Yuki was pounding on the ring apron while shouting for the gymnast to get up.

"_...three...four...five...!_"

The racket coming from her corner seemed to help Kiriko wake up a bit as she rolled over and clawed for the ropes, trying to pull herself back up once again.

"_...six...seven...ei-...!_"

The count was halted. Though she was woozy and still hunched over as she clung to the top and middle ropes, Kiriko was back on her feet. She brushed her hand across her upper lip and then pulled it away, only to see the blood on her fingers. "No! My perfect nose!" she whined.

In the meantime, Kodachi had discarded her ribbon and picked up a pair of clubs that remained in the ring from her last Club Cannon attack.

Kiriko, seeing that Kodachi was coming for her again, stumbled back into her corner and threw up a "T" sign with her hands. "Timeout! Timeout!" she called for a break in the action, despite the fact that timeouts weren't allowed during matches.

"Oooooohohohoo! How foolish," Kodachi laughed at her cowering opponent. She was ready to move in, but then, out of nowhere, the same red club that Kiriko had used earlier came up from behind and whizzed past her ear. "Wh-...what?" she staggered back, feeling the effects of the sharp noise again. "When did she...?"

Kiriko's lips curved into a sinister grin as the club slid back into her hand. It, too, had a yo-yo-like quality built into it. The call for a timeout was merely a ploy to retrieve the club from where she had dropped it on the other side of the ring. "Sucker!" she shot back at Kodachi. "Yuki, now!"

"No! Kodachi, look out!" Ringo called out to the gymnast, watching as Yuki tossed a ball up to Kiriko.

Hitting a switch on the ball, Kiriko heaved it at Kodachi and then ducked for cover in her corner. Kodachi's equilibrium was so out of whack that she had no chance of defending herself. As soon as the ball hit her chest, it exploded into a hundred miniature clubs that shot out violently in all directions. Nearly half of them struck Kodachi, who fell to her stomach, writhing in pain.

"Aww, hell. Those things hurt," Sakura cringed, having felt the impact of that particular tool before.

"Look that way," Shampoo nodded her head. She had no sympathy for her old rival, but it did look like the last attack stung pretty good.

Kiriko dropped her club again and took a new ribbon from Yuki. Looking incredibly pleased with her handiwork, she slowly approached Kodachi, smiling as she watched her struggle to get up. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me, you trash," she insulted the other girl. Twirling her ribbon, Kiriko whipped it forward and wrapped it around Kodachi's neck from behind. "I know! Why don't we try _that_ again, only this time we'll do it in _my_ corner!"

Kolhotz High's renowned gymnast began dragging Kodachi across the ring by her throat, presumably to put her in the same Queen's Contempt submission hold that had failed to end the match earlier.

Seeing what was about to happen, Ringo knew she had to help out somehow, else the match could well be over. She began digging through one of the tool bags and grabbed the first thing that came to mind: a white-colored ball that was part of a particular combo move that she and Kodachi had planned. "Kodachi, here!"

Kodachi was about halfway across the ring when she saw the ball flying in. She knew right away what Ringo had in mind, and she didn't consider it a bad idea at all. There was a black bullseye on one side of the ball; that was where she would need to hit it for this to work.

Kiriko was using both hands to pull Kodachi along with her ribbon. She wasn't much worried about a counter-attack from Kodachi given their current positions, but that would turn out to be a mistake. Kodachi kicked the ball right on the mark and right up into Kiriko's face, where it burst and completely doused the diva's head and shoulders in its contents: a gallon of maple syrup.

"What the...?" Ranma batted his eyes at the strange result of the attack.

Shocked and aghast, Kiriko dropped her ribbon and stood frozen with syrup dripping down her leotard as laughter rained down from the Joudai High students. The humiliation wasn't over, though. By the time Kodachi had loosened the ribbon from her windpipe, another ball was heading in from her corner. Back in an upright position this time, she again kicked it right on its bullseye. With syrup clouding her vision, Kiriko took the next ball right above her chest. This one exploded into a mess of white feathers that stuck themselves to the syrup, making Kiriko look like a giant chicken.

"Syrup and feathers? How juvenile," Mikado grumbled with disgust as his fellow students put their displeasure on display, as well.

Hearing Sakura howling with laughter in the front row, Kiriko wiped the syrup and feathers away from her eyes and glared at Kodachi in disbelief. "Are you KIDDING ME?" she shrieked. "Look at me! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!"

Kiriko quickly became very alarmed, however, as she saw another ball land in Kodachi's grasp. "Did you think that was all?" Kodachi teased her, lobbing the third ball her way.

Letting out a frightened scream, Kiriko dropped down to the mat in a hurry, watching as the ball sailed over her head and landed harmlessly on the other side of the ring. She wondered what outrageous thing it might do, but as it turned out, it did absolutely nothing. The ball simply rolled to a stop and sat there. "Hah! That one was a dud!" Kiriko stood back up, taking some enjoyment out of the seemingly failed attack. As she turned back toward Kodachi, though, that enjoyment vanished in an instant.

"Was it?" Kodachi smirked, tossing yet another ball at her.

Kiriko gasped in pain the moment the ball struck her chest, and for good reason. The ball popped, showering her with thousands of prickly stickers that were covered in cactus-like needles. Many of them embedded themselves into the front of her leotard on impact and pierced right through to her skin. Others snagged onto her arms and hands, while a healthy amount of them fell and stuck into the canvas around her feet.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kiriko screamed. She could hardly catch her breath from the pain of the stickers all over her. "What...what the HELL are these things?"

Kodachi, who had acquired a strand of rope from Ringo, wrapped her new tool around Kiriko's legs. "Grass burrs. Quite painful, are they not?" she answered her ailing opponent. Then, with a strong tug, she used the rope to pull Kiriko's feet out from under her. Kiriko fell flat on her back, and, unfortunately for her, right on top of all of the excess burrs that were on the ring mat.

"Ohhhh! Ohhh!" Kiriko jolted to a seated position, crying out in agony as hundreds of burrs dug into her back and arms. "Ohhhh, you BITCH! Oh my god, I HATE you! I HATE YOU!"

Kiriko's arms and hands were trembling as she worked her way back up to her knees, trying as hard as she could to avoid getting any more of the burrs attached to her. Now covered in maple syrup, feathers, and the prickly stickers, she was a complete mess—a mess that was being dominated by Kodachi at the moment.

"Oh, man, that's gotta hurt like hell," Ranma shivered just imagining what Kiriko felt like right now. "Those things hurt even more when ya try to take them out, too."

"Ringo, time to bring out the big one," Kodachi instructed her second, who unzipped one of the tool bags that was previously unopened. "Now, Kiriko, I am going to bestow upon you a certain embarrassment that I experienced during my previous match. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did."

Outside the ring, Ringo barely managed to squeeze the requested tool out of the duffel bag. Then, gripping it with both hands, she heaved it over the top rope and into the waiting grip of Kodachi. It was a trash can—heavy, aluminum, _big_.

"Hey! Now we're talkin'!" Sakura cheered on the use of a tool that she was more familiar with than anyone.

Kiriko had her back turned to Kodachi as she was finally able to stand up. Then, looking over her shoulder, she noticed the Black Rose coming down from the air—the open end of the trash can heading right toward her. In an act of desperation, Kiriko spun around, threw a kick into the air, and connected her foot with the rim of the can. The heavy piece of metal was jarred from Kodachi's grasp and flew into the crowd, right into the waiting arms of none other than Shampoo.

With one threat taken care of, the diva of Kolhotz High took off for her corner to get something to defend herself with. "Yuki! Clubs! Clubs!" she called for some tools.

"Oh, I do not think so," Kodachi shook her head. Taking the rope she still held, she again wrapped it around Kiriko's legs.

Just as Kiriko was about to grab the clubs that her second had tossed, Kodachi pulled on the rope and Kiriko fell to the ring mat face-first. The grass burrs, already digging into her chest, sunk in even deeper. Kiriko let out another yowl of pain, slamming her hand against the canvas several times as she tried to cope with it.

Now that Kiriko had been momentarily incapacitated again, Kodachi looked around the ring for her trash can...which was nowhere to be seen. Still intent on putting it to use, she scoured the ringside area for the unorthodox tool. It wasn't long before she noticed it sitting in the lap of the Amazon girl in the front row.

There was an awkward stare shared between Shampoo and Kodachi. It wasn't as if Shampoo was there cheering for Kiriko, but she wasn't exactly cheering for Kodachi, either, which led the Black Rose to question whether her old rival for Ranma's heart would be willing to relinquish the trash can. That question, though, would be quickly answered.

"Aiyaa, what this doing here?" Shampoo turned her head away, acting oblivious as to where the trash can came from as she raised it over her head with one hand. "Shampoo no want this. Someone hurry and take."

Kodachi appeared baffled, raising an eyebrow at the lavender-haired girl. Was she actually trying to help her?

"Kodachi!" Ringo called out to her partner, tossing a new ribbon into the ring.

Grabbing the fresh tool out of the air, Kodachi unwound it and looked back to Shampoo. The trash can was still being hoisted up for the taking. Deciding not to pass up the gift, Kodachi flung her ribbon out into the bleachers, wrapped it around the trash can, and swept it off of Shampoo's hand. Letting go of the ribbon, she then caught the can with both hands and turned around, setting her sights on the slowly recovering Kiriko once more.

Outside the ring, Ranma nudged Shampoo with his elbow. "Well look at you gettin' into it, Miss I-Don't-Wanna-Cheer-For-Kodachi," he joked with her.

Shampoo drove the point of her elbow into Ranma's side in response, causing him to keel over in pain. "Shampoo no know what you talking," she feigned ignorance, not willing to admit she'd just helped out the other girl.

"Oww. My...mistake..." Ranma groaned.

Kiriko, still in a world of hurt from the burrs, used the ropes to pull her back to one foot.

Kodachi initially wanted to dump the trash can over the other girl's head, but now she was starting to think otherwise. Looking back and forth between her tool and her target, she finally just shrugged her shoulders. "On second thought..." she said under her breath.

As Kiriko finally got back to both feet, Kodachi took the trash can and simply chucked it at her. The base of the can slammed into Kiriko's face, the sound of which resonated throughout the gym and made fans from both schools wince. Kiriko fell back and hit the mat hard, her eyes taking on a far away look that signaled just how out of it she was.

"Yes!" Ringo celebrated the hit from the visitor's corner.

"Count!" Kodachi commanded the official.

"_One...two...!_"

Somehow, even at the count of two, Kiriko was already stirring. She reached for the ropes, loosely grabbing the bottom one with one hand.

"_...three...four...!_"

Kiriko kept on going, pulling herself up to the middle rope, but then collapsed onto it.

"Kiriko, you can do it! Go, go, Kiriko!" Azusa rooted her on.

"_...five...six...seven...!_"

Using a quick burst of energy, Kiriko bounced off of the rope and grabbed the top one, trying desperately to beat the ten count and keep the match going.

"_...eight...nine...!_"

At the count of nine, the referee stopped. Kiriko was wobbly and still not entirely all there, but, with the help of the ropes, she was back up yet again.

"No! She was so close!" Ringo exclaimed, disappointed.

"How persistent..." Kodachi muttered. "Ringo! Hoops!"

The Cat Cafe's waitress tossed a pair of the requested hoops into the ring. The Black Rose caught one in each hand, then began twirling them around her forearms.

Kiriko, on the other hand, staggered away from the ropes without any tools in her possession. Her entire upper body slumping forward, she turned toward Kodachi. She didn't call for anything from Yuki, nor did she look like she was in any position to attack. Instead, starting to exhibit some peculiar behavior, she merely began to sway her body from left to right.

"And what is this supposed to be?" Kodachi scoffed at her. "If that is all you wish to do, I will not argue. You just stand right there!"

Kodachi whirled the hoop off of her right arm and straight toward the other gymnast's already battered face. Now Kiriko raised her head, and Kodachi didn't know what it was, but there was a different look about her. Her actions suggested a change, as well. Though her condition was unenviable and the hoop was nearing at a high speed, Kiriko managed to sidestep the attack while maintaining complete composure.

The hoop soared past Kiriko and deflected off the top rope and into the entrance aisle. Afterward, Kiriko moved right back to where she stood before and continued swaying her body back and forth as if nothing had happened.

Outside the ring, a confident smirk crossed the face of Mikado Sanzenin. "It looks as if this match is about to end," he predicted. Azusa and the rest of the Kolhotz students could see what was happening, too.

Annoyed, Kodachi hurled her second hoop at the girl. Kiriko, however, did the exact same thing, stepping to the opposite side this time. The hoop missed, and Kiriko stepped right back into place again. Then her posture abruptly changed. She stood upright, and the constant swaying of her body became more pronounced. Her arms began pumping, and there was even some kick in her legs. Kiriko looked surprisingly energetic again considering how poorly she'd been faring throughout most of the match. In fact, with the way she was moving, it was almost as if she were dancing.

"What that one doing? She look silly," Shampoo inquired about Kiriko's actions.

"Yeah, I don't really get the point. She's a sittin' duck without any tools, ain't she?" Ranma concurred.

Sakura, though, looked far more concerned about the unfolding situation. "No...it's not like that at all," she told them, standing up. "'Dachi! You gotta stop her before she gets her rhythm!"

"Rhythm?" Kodachi wondered aloud, hearing Sakura's warning. "Ringo! Ribbon!" The redhead tossed in a purple ribbon, which Kodachi unwrapped in a hurry and held out in front of her as she watched Kiriko's strange movements. "I do not know what she speaks of, but if you are going to wobble around like that, I shall just have to bind you."

Kodachi was ready to flick her ribbon out toward the other girl, but then something caught her eye. Hoops—a _lot_ of them—were being tossed up into the ring by Yuki. One-by-one, Kiriko—still bobbing her body around—caught the hoops, then tossed them back up into the air. Even as the number grew, Kiriko was catching the ones that came down, tossing them up again, and repeating the process. By the time Yuki was done, Kiriko was juggling a total of 20 hoops.

"Crap! It's too late," Sakura looked on, worried.

"What? Is this some kinda attack?" Ranma asked her.

"It's not just an attack. It's Kiriko's ultimate attack: Rhythm Dance," Sakura had the displeasure of informing him. "When she gets in a pinch, she starts listening to a beat in her head and uses that to dictate her moves. Instead of thinking about what to do next, she just feels it out and does it."

"Rhythm Dance?" the pigtailed boy turned his attention back to the ring.

Erring on the side of caution, Kodachi took a wait-and-see approach to this bizarre spectacle. Up until now, she'd had Kiriko reeling from a swath of attacks, so not trying to finish the girl off just yet was a difficult choice to stick to. Kodachi didn't know what to make of all of these hoops, though. If she attacked right now, she might be setting herself up for some kind of trap. Kiriko was annoying and mouthy, but she was also clever and conniving, and being reckless against such an opponent could wind of being the end of Kodachi's tournament run.

Finally, the juggling looked to be coming to an end. Kiriko allowed all of the hoops to fall into her waiting grasp, holding ten in each hand once they'd all come down.

Kodachi watched carefully as Kiriko continued to dance back and forth. What was she planning? What was the point of all of this?

On her seventh bob after the juggling stopped—a movement to her left—Kiriko weakly lobbed one of the hoops at Kodachi. And then, on the eighth bob—a movement to her right—her real dance began. While Kodachi batted away the single hoop tossed her way, Kiriko tossed nine others high up into the air at full force. Then, with five left in each hand, she sent ten hoops—all of the yo-yo variety—soaring straight at the Black Rose.

With the hoops coming in low, Kodachi took to the air to avoid them. The hoops followed, though, as they turned upward and began approaching from below. And, as Kodachi quickly noticed, the hoops that Kiriko had thrown up into the air beforehand were now spinning down toward her. Using her ribbon, Kodachi whipped away the falling hoops that were close enough to disrupt her actions. Now the hoops from below were closing in fast. In fact, they had gotten too close to do anything about with her ribbon. It was time for an evasive maneuver. Showing some impressive athleticism, Kodachi twisted her body just barely over the hoops, almost as a pole vaulter would. The hoops skimmed the back of her leotard, but she had avoided the brunt of the attack.

As Kodachi spun around to get Kiriko back in her line of sight, however, she found something unpleasant awaiting her. At some point, Kiriko had knocked a ball up at her, and it was now just a few feet away from her chest.

The alarm showing in her expression, Kodachi crossed her arms in front of herself just before the ball exploded. Much like earlier in the match, a hundred miniature clubs flew out in all directions, striking Kodachi all over the front of her body. Cringing, the Black Rose fell back down to the ring and took a knee, her body rattled by the numerous hits.

There would be no time to rest for Kodachi, though. Kiriko, maintaining a constant offense, had her yo-yo hoops closing in on Kodachi again—five from the right, and five from the left. Kodachi needed to get out of there, but she was going to take the opportunity to arm herself with another tool while she was at it. She quickly grabbed a club that was sitting by her hand, then jumped back into the ropes, far enough back that the hoops converged just in front of her rather than on her.

Kodachi knew that if she was going to stop Kiriko, she needed to go on the attack herself, and that was just what she did. Using the bounce off the ropes for momentum, she sprung forward toward the Kolhotz High representative. Kiriko, seeing her coming, lobbed another hoop of the non-yo-yo variety at her. Kodachi again swatted it away with her ribbon, but this time there was another surprise waiting for her. Kiriko, too, had dashed forward for an exchange. The distance between them closed fast, and Kodachi, surprised by the move, reacted by swinging her club out toward Kiriko's chin.

Kiriko proved to be elusive, though. Kodachi had barely put her club in forward motion when Kiriko jumped to the side and landed all the way up on the top rope. It was a perplexing move, and one that afforded Kodachi an opportunity. If she could just snag Kiriko's feet with her ribbon, the brazen diva would almost certainly fall out of the ring. With that as her aim, Kodachi readied to fling her ribbon at Kiriko's ankles, but one of the girl's yo-yo hoops was coming at her as well.

"How irritating!" Kodachi fumed, forced to use her ribbon to swat the incoming hoop away.

Continuing her unusual behavior, Kiriko now began running along the top rope, turning at every corner of the ring as she came upon one of the posts. She was constantly whipping her yo-yo hoops at Kodachi to keep her occupied, and more trouble was coming from her second as Yuki hurled more normal hoops up to her. Catching the hoops as they arrived, Kiriko did like before, tossing them into the air so that they would fall toward where Kodachi stood.

It was a prime spot for Kodachi to attack, but with hoops coming from both above and from the side, she was just too busy defending herself to mount an offense. As the last of the hoops fell from above, Kiriko finally dismounted from the top rope and landed back in the ring, but her attack persisted. After Kodachi swatted away that last hoop, one of the yo-yo hoops immediately followed from the side. Then another. And another. With each one, Kodachi had more difficulty catching up to it. Then, when a fourth one came in, the Black Rose was overwhelmed. It struck her directly in the cheek, snapping her head back. Reeling from the blow, Kodachi was unable to protect herself as yet another of the yo-yo hoops swirled in and collided with her collarbone, knocking her back again.

Kiriko was armed and ready to make full use of the situation. Rather than just using one, five hoops now came at Kodachi all at once, and she couldn't do anything but throw her arms up to shield herself. The hoops struck cleanly, and their combined force knocked Kodachi right off of her feet and directly toward a very dangerous spot. Unable to stop herself, Kodachi looked to be on a path out of the ring as she flew right between the top and middle ropes.

The Sakura Army, along with Sakura herself, gasped at the sight. Kodachi wasn't so out of it that she would allow herself to fall, though. She had the presence of mind to grab hold of the middle rope on her way over and swing herself underneath it, re-entering the ring between the middle and bottom ropes. The Joudai High crowd breathed a sigh of relief, but one that came far too early. When Kodachi rolled back into the ring and raised her head, there was another ball right next to her face. This time, she couldn't do anything at all. It detonated, pummeling her head and the rest of her body with the impactful mini clubs.

The force of the attack knocked the stunned Black Rose right back to her feet. Kiriko had all ten of her yo-yo hoops together now, and they were all flying straight down at her opponent.

"Kodachi, move!" Ringo cried from her corner.

There was no reaction from Kodachi, though. The ten hoops slammed down into the back of her head, viciously driving her face-first down into the ring mat. Her body went limp, sprawled out on the canvas and unmoving. Kiriko had brought her down at last, and she'd done so with authority.

"Ohh, man. That ain't good," Ranma said, folding his arms.

Sakura could only shake her head from the front row. "Kiriko makes mistakes because she's not thinking, but the second ya try to make a move, you're about to get hit with somethin' else," she said, knowing well what Kodachi was going through. "That's why there's only one person that's ever been able to shut down her Rhythm Dance."

"Who that?" Shampoo glanced over at her.

"The Champion, Priscilla," Sakura answered. "She's so damn technically gifted that she can pick up on Kiriko's rhythm and make her pay for her mistakes while not getting overwhelmed by all of that offense. That's why Kiriko can't beat Priscilla, and that's why 'Dachi needs to win this. But, at this rate...damn!"

Inside the ring, Kodachi still hadn't moved. Kiriko could have had the referee start her ten count at this point and tried to win the match that way, but, in her Rhythm Dance state, the thought never crossed her mind. Instead, she took her yo-yo hoops and, using five at a time, whipped them repeatedly into Kodachi's prone body.

"No! Stop! She's down!" Ringo pleaded with Kiriko. Her plea fell on deaf ears, though, as Kiriko kept on attacking without even flinching. Ringo knew Kodachi's feelings on quitting; she'd been very clear about it after her match with Sakura. Still, this was getting out of hand. Kodachi was being pummeled, and she looked like she might be out cold. Where was the right point to draw the line? How long could Ringo sit there and watch the assault until she jumped in the ring to stop it herself?

_"Ugh! Ahh!"_

Finally, some pained cries were coming from the mouth of Kodachi. She was conscious. Laid out and being battered, but conscious.

"Kodachi, please, get up! You have to get up!" Ringo shouted to her.

As another stack of hoops smashed into her shoulder, a groggy Kodachi heard the words of her second and raised her head. She planted one hand against the mat. Then the other. Struck in her lower back by another blow, she grit her teeth and pushed herself up off the canvas. When the hoops came back again, they came from the front and targeted her head. Kodachi raised her arm in front of her face to protect herself, and the hoops hit it hard. The impact knocked Kodachi's forearm back into her body and pushed her back to her feet in a crouching position. She had dropped her club somewhere along the way, but somehow she had never let go of her ribbon.

Kodachi willed herself back up, and Kiriko switched back to her previous pattern of having the yo-yo hoops attack one at a time. Once again, Kodachi, still reeling from the latest string of attacks, whipped her ribbon to and fro, having to stay on defense because of the volume of attacks. In this case, it may have been a good thing, though. She needed some time to recuperate, and to think of a way to stop Kiriko, as well. This would allow her just that.

"_She just does not stop attacking with these accursed hoops!_" Kodachi thought to herself, frustrated. "_If I try to counter-attack, I will end up the same as before. How, then? How can I stop this harpy?_"

Kiriko's barrage of hoops persisted, but so did Kodachi's defense for the moment. It was obvious to anyone watching, however, that Kodachi was the one tiring more quickly. If things kept up like this, she would be the first to falter.

Kodachi wouldn't allow that to happen. She _couldn't _allow that to happen. It took her a minute to formulate something, but now, she had a plan. "Ringo! Hoop!" she yelled.

Ringo wasn't sure what good a single hoop was going to do in this situation, but she wasn't going to argue. As was requested of her, she took a hoop and heaved it into the ring at an angle where it wouldn't be knocked away by those belonging to Kiriko.

The moment Kodachi grabbed the hoop, she stopped using her ribbon and tried to go on the attack. She reached back to throw the tool, but one of Kiriko's hoops whacked her in the cheek just as she was letting go. The hoop, sent astray, ended up not going for Kiriko, but instead spun along the edge of the ring, ripping up the canvas until it hit the rope and came to a stop.

"Hahaha! So pointless! You're going to lose!" Azusa poked fun at Kodachi from Kiriko's cheering section.

Kodachi was unfazed by the result, however, as she resumed using her ribbon to defend herself. "Ringo, again!"

Once more, Ringo tossed her partner a hoop. Kodachi caught it, then pushed forward, keeping her ribbon going to block the yo-yo hoops as she charged forth toward Kiriko. She got to what she felt was a close enough distance, then let her ribbon fall to use the hoop. But, the instant Kodachi's ribbon ceased to defend, Kiriko jumped up and over to the other side of the ring, and she whacked Kodachi in the chest and arm with another of her hoops on her way over there. Kodachi was knocked back, and her hoop again rolled along the mat, tearing up a path along the adjacent side of the ring this time.

"What the heck's she tryin' to do?" Ranma questioned Kodachi's tactics.

"Shampoo no sure, but it no is working," Shampoo said.

"Ringo, another!" Kodachi commanded as Kiriko's yo-yo hoops did battle with her ribbon again.

Why Kodachi was so insistent on this strategy that didn't seem to be effective was beyond Ringo, but she had to have some kind of idea, otherwise she wouldn't be doing it. Kodachi was on the other side of the ring now, so Ringo had to throw at a different angle to get the hoop to her. Thankfully, that change didn't become a problem, as she managed to nail the throw.

Kodachi caught the hoop again. Her third try was more like her first try, dropping her defense immediately in an attempt to throw the tool. It ended the same as the first try, too, with her eating a hoop to her face while her own hoop rolled along and tore up the canvas on a third side of the ring. And this time, the hoop shot got her good.

Staggered, Kodachi fell back against the ropes, and the ribbon fell from her hand. She was defenseless. Kiriko saw this, and her attack changed. Instead of sending her yo-yo hoops one at a time, she gathered them and threw all ten at once. It was a finishing blow designed to knock Kodachi out, or, at the very least, knock her through the ropes and out of the ring. Either way, it would be Kiriko's win.

The hoops zeroed in on their target, and the aim was perfect. There was one small issue, though: Kodachi was playing possum. Without a second to spare, the Black Rose ducked down, allowing the hoops to soar over her and the top rope. It was time to put her plan into action. Kneeling down by the mat, Kodachi grabbed hold of the edge of the canvas that her hoops had ripped up. "Let us see you deal with this!" Kodachi challenged her opponent.

As the yo-yo hoops curled upward and were coming back to Kiriko, Kodachi flung the ring's canvas and the padding beneath—all of which had been cut free on three sides of the ring—high into the air, and, more importantly, toward Kiriko, who was standing next to the one edge that hadn't been cut.

Kiriko's vision was obstructed, but she wasn't going to let it stay that way for long. As her hoops came back, they sliced right through the top edge of the material falling toward her. Unfortunately for Kiriko, the cuts had little impact. The canvas and padding was so massive and so heavy that the ten cuts couldn't stop it.

At the moment she'd tossed the canvas into the air, Kodachi had rolled forward along the now-exposed wood that supported the mat to grab a useful tool still left at her disposal: her trash can, which had been sitting along the far edge of the ring, escaping the zone where the fabric had been cut. Then, as the canvas fell and covered her opponent, Kodachi rose up and heaved the heavy chunk of metal at the bump in the padding that gave away Kiriko's position.

With a loud thunk, the trash can made contact. The bump in the padding collapsed downward, and the canvas folded up with Kiriko buried beneath it.

Kodachi had done it. She had stopped the Rhythm Dance.

"Yes!" Ringo threw her arms into the air in celebration.

"No way! She freaking did it!" Sakura jumped up with excitement, as did her fellow Joudai students.

Tatewaki Kuno joined the gymnast next to him in celebration. "Magnificently done, Sister!"

"Heh, how 'bout that?" Ranma chuckled.

"Guess that one know what she doing after all," Shampoo added with a shrug.

On the opposite side of the crowd, Mikado couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Impossible..." he uttered.

Azusa and the rest of Kiriko's fans were speechless. None of them had ever expected to see the Rhythm Dance broken by anyone other than Priscilla Winters, and yet the tournament's 11th Seed had just pulled off the feat.

Kodachi, her legs wobbly, fell back against the ropes and let them support her weight. Though she had put a stop to Kiriko's Rhythm Dance, she had taken a real beating from it. She could feel the stinging pain from all of the hits she'd taken to her back, arms, and head, and her left cheek was already swelling up from the couple of times it had just been hit while she was trying to slice up the canvas. She was sore, but she was standing, and that was more than could be said for her opponent.

Down beneath the shredded folds of canvas, something was starting to move, and Kodachi locked her sights onto it. Kiriko, it appeared, was trying to get up. Kodachi wasn't going to let her off so easy after what she'd just been through, though. Not a chance. Dragging herself away from the ropes, Kodachi bent down and picked up her trash can, now with a fresh dent in its side. She then set a malicious glare on the covered body at her feet. She was going to enjoy this. Oh, yes, she was going to enjoy it to the fullest. Raising the hunk of metal above her head, she brought it down and slammed it into Kiriko with all her might, and the bump in the canvas flattened out as Kiriko's body was forcefully knocked back down.

Kodachi wasn't done. She sprung back to her feet, raised the trash can up, and slammed it down again. Then again...and again...and again. Kodachi was relentless, and the crowd reacted with every vicious blow—the Kolhotz students wincing, and the Joudai students cheering. When the number of shots hit six, Sakura's army began to count them out loud.

"_Six...seven...eight...nine...ten...!_"

Every single shot was accompanied by a grunt from Kodachi as she put everything she had into wailing on Kiriko, and they just kept on coming.

"_...15...16...17...18...19...20...21...22...!_"

"K-...Kodachi..." Ringo's mouth hung open. She was absolutely stunned at the ferocity of her partner's assault.

In the other corner, Yuki was shocked at the way things had turned around. First the Rhythm Dance was broken, and now this. She couldn't do anything to help, either, except try to rouse Kiriko with her voice. "Kiriko! Get out of there and fight back, or you'll lose!" she shouted as Kodachi continued to wail away. "You want Priscilla's title, right? Then get up! You have to get up!"

"..._28...29...30...31...32...33...34...35...36...!_"

Kodachi was starting to breathe very heavily through her mouth. As much damage as she was inflicting on Kiriko, her own stamina was being worn down in the process. She knew it, too, but she wasn't going to stop. Not yet.

"_...37...38...39...40...!_"

After the 40th blow, Kodachi dropped to her knees. She was out of breath.

"Wow, Kodachi..." Ranma looked on, partially impressed and partially wondering if he should be disturbed by what he was watching.

"Shampoo tell you that girl crazy," his girlfriend added.

With encouragement to keep going pouring in from the Sakura Army, Kodachi mustered up her strength and stood back up. She raised the hunk of metal that used to resemble a trash can over her head, and she brought it down again. _Hard_.

"_...41...!_"

The hits were slower, but the Black Rose kept on delivering them.

"_...42...43...44...45...!_"

Tatewaki Kuno was feeling much the same way as Ranma for once. He was happy to see his sister doing well, but this was a bit...excessive. "Kodachi...I say, she is like a woman possessed."

"Ohhh yeah, she's beatin' the hell out of her! Go, 'Dachi, go!" Sakura excitedly urged her fellow gymnast on.

"_...46...47...48...!_"

Her chest heaving in and out as she breathed, Kodachi's tired arms raised the trash can up and clobbered Kiriko with it yet again.

"_...49...!_"

Kodachi's arms hung limp now. She was so tired that she couldn't even lift the can up again. Her supporters, however, weren't having any of it. All of them on their feet, they chanted for Kodachi to land just one more shot.

"_One more time! One more time! One more time! One more time...!_"

Raising her head, Kodachi looked around at the ecstatic Sakura Army. She was winded and could barely feel her arms right now, but if these people rooting her on wanted one more, she was going to give them one more. With a determined cry, she willed her weary limbs to raise the can above her. Then, as forcefully as she'd delivered the other 49 hits, she blasted the unmoving lump in the canvas that was Kiriko's body.

"_...50!_"

Fifty. Kodachi had hit Kiriko fifty times with her trash can. Sakura and her followers, impressed as all hell, gave the gymnast a rousing standing ovation. Sakura had gained a reputation as being one of the most brutal competitors in the Extreme Gymnastics Federation, but even she had never unloaded on someone with a trash can fifty times.

Kodachi, soaking in the reaction of the fans, looked down at her mangled trash can. It was practically flattened. Done with the receptacle for the time being, she tossed it over the top rope, where it landed near Ringo's feet. Kodachi had done a wealth of damage, but was it enough? That was the question. Exhausted, she stumbled back to her corner, wrapped her arms over the top rope on either side of her, and fell into a seated position on the middle turnbuckle. Then, dangling her pointer finger outward, she gestured to the referee to do her duty. "Count!"

The referee got into the best position to watch Kiriko, and the count began. "_One...!_"

There was no movement from Kiriko.

"_...two...three...!_"

Still nothing.

"_...four...!_"

Finally, from beneath the pile of fabric and padding, a single, shaking hand emerged and fell onto the bottom rope right next to her corner.

"No way..." Ringo mouthed in disbelief.

Kodachi only frowned as she picked up on the movement. Evidently, what she'd done wasn't enough to knock Kiriko completely out.

"_...five...!_"

"Kiriko, hurry! Get up!" Yuki yelled, slamming the ring apron with her palms.

Just how much awareness Kiriko had at this point was unknown, but she was at least alert enough to grab the rope that her free hand had draped itself over.

"_...six...!_"

Now Kiriko's other hand slid out from under the canvas, and then her head. Her face still plastered with syrup and feathers, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed the middle rope on the other side of her corner.

"_...seven...!_"

"Stay down, you vile harlot. Stay down," Kodachi quietly pleaded. She'd done enough. Her body was ready for this match to be over.

"_...eight...!_"

Kiriko wasn't going down quietly. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the rest of her body out from under the torn up mat and struggled back to her knees.

"Kiriko, hurry up!" Yuki bellowed into her partner's ear again.

"_...nine...!_"

One foot. Kiriko had gotten one foot under herself. The suspense was driving the onlooking students crazy. Would she do it, or had Kodachi won?

"_...te-...!_"

The count stopped. Half of the gymnasium erupted in cheer, while the other half groaned in dismay. Kiriko couldn't even stand, but somehow, some way, she had gotten both feet under her. The match was still on.

"Damn!" Sakura fumed on the outside.

"That girl tough," Shampoo allowed.

Kodachi threw her hands over her face. She couldn't believe it. After all of that, Kiriko was still able to get up.

"Yay, Kiriko! Yay! Yay!" Azusa bounced around on the Kolhotz side of the bleachers.

"Why are you cheering? She's still at a disadvantage," Mikado chided her, an act that made his skating partner stick her tongue out at him in response.

Right after she'd beaten the count, Kiriko collapsed forward into her corner with her chin resting on the middle turnbuckle and her arms dangling lifelessly. The showing of her current state only further perplexed everyone watching as to how she'd made it back to her feet, even if only for a second.

"Ringo," Kodachi spoke to her second, trying to get her head back in the game, "...give me a rope...and a club."

Ringo hurried to fetch the tools and hand them off to her partner. "Kodachi, she's so weak that she can't even stand up! You can do this!" she encouraged her.

Kodachi could see it, too. After all the blows Kiriko had taken in this match, and with the painful sticker burrs still jammed through her leotard and into her back and chest, she was easily in the worse condition of the two. Thus, finishing her off, Kodachi figured, shouldn't take much.

Outside the ring, Ranma didn't have a great view of it from where he was sitting, but, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, Yuki appeared to feed something to Kiriko while he was watching them. He didn't know what it might be or if it even mattered at all, but it certainly stood out as being suspicious.

"So...irritating..." Kodachi muttered, staggering over to her opponent's corner. "Let us end this, Kiriko!"

Once she made it to the corner, Kodachi wrapped her rope around Kiriko's neck and began pulling her limp body upward. Then, out of nowhere, that limp body sprang to life. Kiriko got her footing, spun her head around, and sprayed a cloud of green mist from her mouth right into Kodachi's eyes and face.

"Aaaaagh!" Kodachi screamed, dropping her tools as she fell back to the wood where the canvas used to sit. Her eyes burning, she desperately wiped at them with the sleeve of her leotard, but it wasn't of any help. She couldn't see a thing.

"Kodachi!" Ringo cried.

"Oh, that is _cheap_!" Sakura growled, angered by the underhanded tactic.

The crowd was stunned as the momentum shifted yet again. Kiriko had looked like she was on the verge of defeat, but clearly that wasn't the case. She was definitely showing the effects of the beatdown Kodachi had given her, though. Her lips stained green by the mist, Kiriko's legs gave out on her and she fell to her knees, using the middle rope to balance herself. Finally with a break in the action, she used her hands and sleeves to clean as much of the syrup and feathers away from her face as she could.

Kiriko finished up with her self-maintenance quickly, then turned and sneered down at her writhing opponent. "Kodachi...when are you going to learn your place? Huh?" she snarled at the Black Rose of St. Hebereke. As she pulled herself back to her feet, Kiriko's face contorted with pain from the feeling in her back and neck, which had taken the brunt of the trash can assault. "I'll teach you. I'll teach you, Kodachi," she declared, flashing a frightening look over at her second. "Yuki...give me the _chain_."

As per the request, Yuki dug through one of the tool bags for the item in question, and then tossed it up into the waiting hands of her gymnast. It really was just a simple chain. Three feet long. Thick, metal links. Menacing. Dangerous.

"Kodachi, she has a chain! Open your eyes!" Ringo warned her, sensing the present threat level the girl was facing.

Kodachi's eyes felt like they were on fire from whatever was in that mist. She was aware now that Kiriko was armed with a chain, but she couldn't see which direction the other gymnast was coming from.

Kiriko, still moving very slowly due to her own condition, folded the chain in half. Then, reaching back, she mercilessly whipped it into Kodachi's ribs. Kodachi fell to her stomach, holding the affected area and screaming in agony from the hit. "You're nothing! Didn't I tell you? You're nothing!" Kiriko yelled at the fallen gymnast. She whipped Kodachi again, this time in her left arm. Kodachi rolled around on the wood, screaming from the rush of pain yet again.

"Sister!" Tatewaki Kuno bellowed with concern from the front row.

Even Ranma was getting squeamish watching this. "Man, that is brutal," he winced.

Kiriko wasn't satisfied yet. As Kodachi tried to crawl away, the Kolhotz High representative whipped the chain into her side, striking the already wounded ribs again. Then came another shot to the left arm, and yet another.

Ringo was in tears watching the horrible scene unfold. "Kodachi!"

Stalking her prey now, Kiriko gingerly walked over to her trembling opponent and looked down upon her with disdain. "Do you still think you belong here? Do you?" she taunted Kodachi again. Now she had a good idea. "I've got it. I know just the way I'll finish you off..."

Kiriko wrapped her chain around Kodachi's neck once, tightened it, and then dragged her by the throat over to the ropes that faced Sakura and all of the other outsiders that came to cheer for Kodachi. Once there, she draped Kodachi's neck over the middle rope, wrapped the chain around both Kodachi and the rope twice, and yanked back on the ends so that the rope was cutting off Kodachi's air. "I'll choke you out right in front of all of these loudmouth idiots! Hahahahaaah!" Kiriko laughed maniacally.

Ringo grabbed her hair as she looked on helplessly from behind. She knew Kodachi didn't have any tools. If this kept up, Kiriko was going to win easily. But what could she do? Kodachi wasn't even facing her to take a tool if she threw it in there. Was there even anything she _could_ do in this situation?

Then Ringo spotted something. It was subtle, but she knew it had meaning. Kodachi had her good arm outstretched, and at the end of it, she was sticking out one finger. Then, underneath where Kiriko was kneeling, Kodachi banged her right foot against the wood twice.

"_One...one means club. And the foot...she wants me to throw a club there?_" Ringo realized. "_I...I don't know what it can do, but I have to try!_"

Kodachi couldn't breathe at all. Her left arm hurt so badly that she couldn't even use it to try to loosen the chain from around her neck, and the soreness in her ribs was only making things worse. Right now, Ringo was her last hope. She turned her head as best she could and tried her damnedest to open her eyes, even if only a sliver. And she did. Everything had a green hue to it, but there, back in her corner, she could see Ringo holding one club over her head.

"Kodachi!" Ringo got the gymnast's attention. Without saying anything more, she sent the club on a direct path to Kodachi's foot.

"Nighty night, Kodachi!" Kiriko glowered from behind the dark-haired gymnast.

The Black Rose was fading, but she wasn't giving up before she took her one last chance. She could only see the club coming part of the way, so she would have to estimate the timing based on that. Kodachi waited and waited for just the right moment, and then, she went for it. As the club's tip made contact with her right heel, she kicked upward with as much force as she could muster, and the base of the club was driven right up into its intended target: the very sensitive area between Kiriko's legs.

Kiriko gasped as the wave of pain hit her. Immediately letting go of the chain, she put her hands between her thighs and collapsed to her back, stomping the wood over and over again as she tried to ride out one of the most uncomfortable feelings in the world. The loosened chain, in turn, led to Kodachi's freedom as it unwound itself from the rope. Finally able to breathe again, Kodachi fell onto her side as her body began to recuperate.

"Yes! She did it! I can't believe it!" Ringo cheered Kodachi on. It was a low blow, the cheapest of cheap shots, but Ringo didn't so much mind the underhanded tactic this time around considering what Kiriko had done to force its necessity in the first place.

"Ohhhh, daaaaamn," Sakura cringed from the front row. She could almost feel that one herself.

Tatewaki Kuno batted his male eyes, confused as to what had happened. "I am...not sure I understand," he admitted. "Does that truly hurt?"

"Yes!" Shampoo, Sakura, and even Ranma—who'd taken his share of errant kicks from his father while training in his girl form—echoed in response.

"Hey, referee, that should be a foul!" Mikado complained. The official didn't agree. After all, a legal tool _was_ used, regardless of where it hit.

Both gymnasts were down, and part of the referee's job included starting a ten count for both of them in such a situation. Thus, it began. "_One...two...!_"

The pain in Kiriko's groin was slowly receding, but she was still hurting all over, particularly from the grass burrs continuing to dig deeper into her back tissue.

For Kodachi, her lack of vision from the green mist was still a huge issue, and now her left arm and ribs were hurting badly from being whipped by Kiriko's chain. She was getting her breath back, but she would need to beat the ten count for it to matter.

"_...three...four...!_"

Kodachi and Kiriko both remained down. If neither could beat the ten count, they were looking at the possibility of the contest ending in a draw.

"_...five...!_"

Now, prying herself away from the wood, Kiriko was the first to sit up. Kodachi tried pushing herself up with both arms, but only one was working. Her left arm was so damaged that she couldn't put any weight on it.

"Kodachi, the ropes are straight ahead from you! Use them!" Ringo advised her blinded partner.

"_...six...!_"

Kiriko crawled over to the ropes, grabbing the chain she'd lost in the process, while Kodachi practically dragged herself over to the ropes on the adjacent side of the ring. Both of them made it at roughly the same moment, and then it became a battle to get back to their feet.

"_...seven...eight...!_"

The girls put everything they had into getting up to a standing position. Kiriko used both hands to pull herself up with the help of the ropes, while Kodachi simply hung her right arm over the top rope and tried to muscle her body all the way up using that alone.

"_...ni-...!_"

Yet again, the count stopped. Kodachi and Kiriko, through sheer guts and determination, made it back to their feet at exactly the same time. Kiriko, holding onto the top rope, slid back into Kodachi's corner of the ring to help her stay upright. Kodachi followed the ropes, as well, staggering forward until she fell back against Kiriko's corner. Fans on both sides of the gymnasium roared for their respective gymnasts, stomping the bleachers and making all sorts of noise to root them on. For a match that almost didn't happen, this one was turning out to be a thriller.

"Kodachi, catch!" Ringo suddenly shouted.

As Kodachi opened her left eye just that little bit that she could manage, she spotted a water bottle coming at her from her corner. "_Well done, Ringo!_" she silently commended her second's thinking. Using what slight vision she had, she caught the bottle, unscrewed the top, tilted her head up and dumped the water into her eyes. It wouldn't completely get rid of the burning sensation, but it would go a long way in helping her see again.

In the other corner, Kiriko, still holding onto her chain, was seething in anger. Barely able to stand, she stumbled forth, away from the ropes. "You...pesky...piece...of garbage," she growled through her teeth at Kodachi, stopping once she had some room around her. "I've never..._never_ used it twice. This time, though...I'll do it...because you need to know how big the gap between us really is!"

Kodachi tossed aside the empty water bottle and stared out toward her nemesis. Just as she had hoped, her vision had cleared up greatly. What she was able to see, however, wasn't what she wanted to see at all. Kiriko's arms had drooped and her body was starting to sway from side to side again. From the looks of things, Kiriko's words meant that she was going to put on an encore performance of her Rhythm Dance.

"Crap, she's doin' it again!" Sakura jumped up in a panic. "'Dachi, do somethin'!"

"_If she gets going again, I shall not be able to stop her,_" Kodachi told herself, well aware of the danger that move presented in her current condition, "_...but all is not lost. She does not realize what trump card I have set up for myself!_"

Confident, but acting with urgency, Kodachi spun around and slapped the top turnbuckle three times with her good hand, then hopped up onto the ring post in Kiriko's corner.

"_Three times...?_" Ringo pondered the signal. "_I get it! She's going to do THAT!_"

Kiriko's swaying was picking up pace, and Kodachi was ready to go on the offensive. Crouching down to get some extra spring, the Black Rose jumped up into the air, high above the ring, where a ball that had just been tossed in by Ringo awaited her. Twisting her body around, Kodachi then slammed the ball downward with her foot, but cringed as the twisting aggravated the pain in her ribs. The ball missed Kiriko entirely, striking the wood near the north side of the ring, and Kodachi landed atop the ring post opposite from the one she'd jumped from.

"What that supposed to be?" Shampoo questioned Kodachi's choice of moves.

Not looking deterred at all by the miss, Kodachi did the same thing, jumping up into the air where another ball had been thrown. Again she kicked it downward, and again her agonized ribs disagreed with her actions. The ball went nowhere near Kiriko, slamming down into the wood on the south side of the ring this time as Kodachi landed back atop the ring post that she'd started from.

"She's gotta know those ain't gonna hit, right?" Ranma arched an eyebrow. "So what's she thinkin', then?"

Kiriko, who had already proven her dodging abilities while building up her rhythm earlier, wasn't even having to budge to evade Kodachi's attacks. And her arms were starting to move with the rest of her body now, a sign that she was almost ready to unleash her Rhythm Dance.

Looking unusually strained at her position on the outside, Ringo stuck with the plan, heaving a third ball up above the ring. "_Please let this work!_" she silently pleaded.

Kodachi, unfazed by her opponent's progress, sprung up into the air one last time, where that ball was waiting in just the right spot. Putting the pain in her ribs out of her mind as best as she could, she twirled around and delivered an axe kick to the especially dense ball, sending it screaming toward the ring with her heel. "GO!" she yelled out.

Though close, the ball wasn't on a course to strike Kiriko, which gave Kolhotz High's premiere gymnast no reason to dodge it...just as Kodachi had planned. The ball struck the wood near where Kiriko stood with a force unexpected by anyone, and, already slightly cracked by the previous two shots it had taken, the wood couldn't take any more. A sickening cracking sound reached the ears of all watching as the wood split into numerous pieces and fell through the areas between the thin, spaced apart metal bars that supported it and the canvas.

Nearly ready to pummel Kodachi with her ultimate attack once more, Kiriko's eyes now opened wide. As the wood crumbled underneath her, so did her footing. By the rules of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation, landing anywhere that wasn't part of the ring would result in a loss via ring out, and right now there was nothing but air separating Kiriko's falling feet from the gymnasium floor below.

* * *

**End of Chapter 18**


	44. QoE: And the Winner Is

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

The collection of students in the Kolhotz High gymnasium sprung to their feet, jaws dropped in amazement. With the help of what was essentially a cannonball, Kodachi had just demolished the ring. The wood that supported the canvas was no more, and now all that remained within the confines of the ropes and ring posts was a grid of support bars that were incapable of holding the full weight of a human being on their own.

After executing her surprise attack, Kodachi descended from above and landed atop the ring post in her corner. "_Did I get her?_" she wondered, looking toward the mess of splintered wood to see what had become of her adversary.

Kiriko Nakajima wasn't the only one in the ring when Kodachi's cannonball had struck, though. The referee, who shared in that misfortune, now found herself sitting on the gym's floor after the wood had given out beneath her feet. Her bottom was a bit sore from the fall, but she was otherwise unhurt, which was good since she still had a job to do. She quickly scoured the debris for any sign of Kiriko, and there, ahead and to her right, she spotted a pair of feet sticking out from behind a large chunk of wood. The official stood up and hurried over to the fallen gymnast to assess her situation.

When the referee reached Kiriko, she found her in a very precarious position. Kolhotz High's diva—her face strained from all of the energy she was expending—had her chain wrapped around the top rope and was holding onto it as if her life depended on it. Her other hand was tightly clutching onto the top of a piece of wood that she was balancing against the floor. The important detail, though, was whether or not any part of Kiriko was touching the ground, and the referee dove down to check on just that.

Suspense filled the gymnasium as everyone waited to learn of what the official saw. She practically had the side of her face flat against the floor as she got as close a look as possible at Kiriko's feet. Then, assured of her call, she stood up...and threw her arms out to either side. "Safe!" she declared. "Kiriko has not touched the floor!"

While the Kolhotz students breathed a huge sigh of relief, the Sakura Army could only express disbelief at the result. Thanks to the quick reaction time with her chain and her luck in having that chunk of wood to grab onto, Kiriko had managed to keep her feet a mere one inch off of the floor. Realizing how bad of a position she was in right now, she quickly swung her lower body over to the side of what remained of the ring and wrapped her legs around the bottom rope. Then, pulling on the chain to give herself a boost, she yanked the rest of her body over and used the ropes to scamper back to the ring post in her corner.

Meanwhile, in the opposite corner, Kodachi dropped down into a crouch and ran her hand through her hair. She was absolutely beside herself. The attack was executed perfectly; Kiriko hadn't seen it coming at all. And yet, the match wasn't over. Kiriko had found a way to survive again. "How...how did she...?" Kodachi mouthed, slamming her good hand down into the turnbuckle pad in front of her. "It was perfect, and still...still she...do I battle with not just Kiriko, but the goddess of fortune as well?"

Out in the crowd, Shampoo was just as surprised as Kodachi that the match was still going on. "Kiriko girl very lucky she no lose there."

"Yeah, no kiddin'. Bad break for Kodachi," Ranma concurred.

"That...was...such...CRAP!" Sakura fumed next to them, kicking the first bleacher with the full force of her foot. "That _sucks_! That damn Kiriko. Whatever, at least it wasn't a total loss."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Ranma glanced over at her.

"Because...Kiriko can't do her Rhythm Dance now," Sakura told him. "The only reason she can do that move at all is because she doesn't have to worry about her footing with that big canvas to land on. Ya get it? Since 'Dachi destroyed the canvas, Kiriko doesn't got that anymore. If she tried to do her dance, with all of her concentration on her offense and not on her footing, she'd touch the floor before she ever landed a hit on 'Dachi."

It wasn't hard for Ranma to see Sakura's point, especially since he'd been in the same situation before. He himself had wiped out the canvas to expose the cheating of the St. Hebereke Gymnastics Club during his own match with Kodachi, and he knew the ring posts and ropes alone didn't provide much in the way of stable footing. A move like Kiriko's Rhythm Dance, he figured, really would be difficult to pull off in such conditions. Sure, Kiriko had run along the ropes a bit while performing the move before, but it was the safety net of the canvas being there that had allowed her to do it. Running along the ropes and staying there would undoubtedly be far greater a challenge.

Over in her corner, Kiriko felt like that last scare had taken a year off of her life. Despite surviving by the skin of her teeth, she wasn't in a much better mood than her opponent, either. Her Rhythm Dance, which she was sure would finish Kodachi off, had been thwarted. And she, just like Sakura, knew that using it again wasn't going to be an option with the ring in its present condition. Nonetheless, there was good reason to be optimistic. After all, she still had two good arms, while Kodachi, thanks to the chain whips she'd taken earlier, had one of hers hanging uselessly at her side.

Kiriko, still extremely sore and breathing heavily, ascended up to a standing position where the top rope was between her knees to help balance herself while her feet both sat on the middle rope. "Yuki, give me the yo-yo hoops!" she instructed her second. With her one arm advantage, she was favoring the idea of keeping her distance and wailing on Kodachi until the Black Rose fell from her perch.

"Here!" Yuki tossed her partner one of the requested hoops—one, and only one.

"Well? I said hoops! Plural! Give me more!" Kiriko barked at the other girl.

"There aren't any! The rest of them are all buried under the mat!" Yuki pointed to the mess down below.

Kiriko grit her teeth in annoyance. This was a huge oversight. She'd never imagined she would need more yo-yo hoops than her Rhythm Dance and another stray attack or two would require, thus she knew Yuki was right in saying there weren't any more. Reclaiming the others from below wasn't going to work, either. Yuki couldn't do it since seconds weren't allowed inside the ring, and Kiriko herself couldn't do it because it would take time and leave her open to attack—a chance which Kodachi wouldn't miss.

"Fine, give me a ribbon, then!" Kiriko snapped at her second again. Once she had the ribbon, she leaned down and put a hand over her mouth to hide what she wanted to say next from prying eyes. "And put our little trick into action. We're going to give Kodachi a blast from the past."

Yuki knew just what Kiriko meant. With an understanding nod, she began digging through the bags of tools at her feet.

While that was going on, Ringo stood outside Kodachi's corner, utterly shocked that the special move she and Kodachi had worked on so much had failed. More importantly, though, the morale of her partner looked to be facing a downward trend. "Kodachi, it's okay! She's still in bad shape, right? You can win this!" she bellowed words of encouragement to the dark-haired girl.

Kodachi finally raised her head. Across the ring from her, Kiriko looked ready to continue. Ringo was right; she couldn't afford to mope right now. This match wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot. "Ringo, ribbon."

The Cat Café's waitress tossed a ribbon up to Kodachi's right arm, as requested. "You can do this, Kodachi!"

Kodachi took those words to heart. She could do this, and she was going to do this. Even with one arm, she was _going_ to do this. Using the same technique as the other competitor, she walked away from her corner along the middle rope with one leg on either side of the top rope.

Kiriko did the same, stepping out to the midpoint of the ropes until she and Kodachi were facing each other from opposite sides of the ring. Her ribbon was going in her right hand, while her yo-yo hoop sat idle in her left. Another trickle of blood dripped from her nose—a recurring effect of the hit she'd taken from the ring bell earlier.

Then, with the crowd stamping their feet against the bleachers in the background, Kiriko made the first move. The Kolhotz representative whirled her hoop at Kodachi, and Kodachi wasted no time swatting it away with her ribbon. The hoop returned to the grasp of Kiriko, who didn't seem bothered at all by the failed attack as she began bobbing the hoop up and down like one would a normal yo-yo. After a few seconds, she again hurled the hoop Kodachi's way, but the result was the same as Kodachi deflected it back at her.

"_So far, so good,_" Ringo silently assured herself. As her eyes surveyed the ring, however, she noticed something happening straight ahead from her. Kodachi was too focused on Kiriko to notice it, but Yuki was rubbing her hands along the middle ropes on both sides of Kiriko's corner. It was strange. Too strange. Yuki hadn't done anything like that all match, and there didn't seem to be any reason for it. It just didn't make any sense, at least not until Ringo remembered something important that Kodachi had disclosed to her last night. "_Wait, in their last match, Kodachi lost because the ropes were...greased. Is...is she...?_"

Despite two successful defenses against Kiriko's attacks, Kodachi wasn't pleased at all with the situation. She could see what was going on; Kiriko knew she had the advantage, and she was going to take her time and pick Kodachi apart slowly if need be. For Kodachi, attacking with her ribbon wasn't going to work, either. If she did, Kiriko could just do the same with her own ribbon and entangle them, leaving Kodachi without any defense against the hoop. It was a tricky situation—one that was going to require some tact if Kodachi wanted to improve her chances of victory.

"Ringo," Kodachi addressed her second, keeping her gaze fixated on her opponent, "...prepare a hoop, and throw it my way when I say."

Ringo badly wanted to disclose to Kodachi what Yuki appeared to be up to, but it would have to wait. For now, she grabbed one of the remaining hoops from the tool bags and stood ready for her partner's signal.

While Kiriko again played with her hoop as if it were a toy, she allowed a cocky smirk to cross her weary face. "How does it feel, Kodachi? Knowing it's just a matter of time before you lose, that is," she taunted the other gymnast. Then, as the hoop returned to her hand, she tossed it Kodachi's way once more.

"Ringo, now!" Kodachi commanded.

Acting quickly, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke snapped her ribbon at the incoming hoop, knocking it up and away yet again. This time, though, she lobbed her ribbon up toward her mouth and caught its handle with her teeth before looking toward her corner, where the hoop Ringo had grabbed was now coming her way. Taking the hoop as she spun back toward the ring, Kodachi hurled it not at Kiriko, but at the space between Kiriko and her hoop.

It had all happened so fast that Kiriko never even realized what Kodachi's objective was until it was too late. Kodachi's hoop sliced right through the string connecting Kiriko's yo-yo hoop with her hand, turning the hoop into nothing more than a standard tool. While Kodachi's hoop went sailing off into the crowd, Kiriko's—no longer bound by its string—continued on its upward path until it collided with the ceiling. The impact not only cracked the material atop the gymnasium, but also dislodged one of the large lights that shone down from above. As Kiriko's hoop fell back toward the ring, so did the light, only for it to be stopped after a few feet thanks to its sturdy power cord keeping it in place.

While Kiriko's hoop dropped harmlessly onto the ring post in her corner and hooked itself there, many of the students—concerned about the possibility of the light falling on them—kept their eyes glued to the swinging object high above the ring. For the time being, though, it looked as if there was no danger of the light's cord giving out.

Kodachi's plan had been executed without a hitch; Kiriko no longer had any of her dangerous yo-yo hoops at her disposal.

"Why, you little..." Kiriko snarled angrily at her opponent, "...that was my last one!"

Fuming over the loss of her modified tool, Kiriko snapped her ribbon out toward Kodachi. Having already grabbed the ribbon handle from her mouth, Kodachi returned fire with her own ribbon, and the two tools wrapped themselves around each other. Now, with the two ribbons entangled over the remains of the ring's canvas, a tug of war ensued.

What started out as an even match of strength turned lopsided in a hurry when Kiriko wrapped her second hand around her ribbon's handle. "Now what, Kodachi? You can't overpower me with one arm!"

Kodachi didn't have to be told of her chances; she knew they weren't good. The one who lost out here was going to be without a tool temporarily, and that was certainly a less-than-desirable outcome. But...maybe there was a way she could turn this in her favor. "You do not think so? Show me, then!" she challenged the other girl.

Annoyed with Kodachi's persistence, Kiriko put even more force into trying to yank the ribbon free of her opponent's grasp, and she succeeded. Unfortunately for her, it didn't happen in the manner she would have liked. Kodachi, seeing that Kiriko was going to turn it up a notch, had willingly let go of her ribbon. Kiriko wasn't expecting that to happen at all, and, with as much strength as she was pulling with, she lost her balance and fell backward.

"Whawawawaaaah!" Kiriko screamed. She let go of the entangled ribbons and desperately grabbed the middle and bottom ropes to keep from falling. Her feet swung about halfway down the width of the ring apron, dangling dangerously close to the floor outside the ring before she was able to right herself and pull her legs back up to the ropes with the rest of her body.

Letting go of the ribbon had been a trick used against Kodachi during her match with Ranma—or Ringo, as Kodachi believed—and she was all too happy to turn it around on someone else. Now, with Kiriko unarmed and struggling on the ropes, it was time for Kodachi to go back on the offensive. Putting one foot on the top rope, she sprung off of it and over to the ring post in her corner. "Ringo, club!"

Ringo dove down, scooped up a club from one of the tool bags, and tossed it up to Kodachi. There was something she needed to inform her partner of before the next exchange occurred, though. "Kodachi, the middle rope around her corner is greased!"

Kodachi's eyes widened as her second's claim reached her ears. She didn't have the time to stand there and ask what that piece of information was based off of, else Kiriko would be able to regroup, but it was something she would have to bear in mind. Would Kiriko really use that underhanded trick again? What a ridiculous question; of course she would!

Setting that aside for the moment, Kodachi jumped from her ring post to one in a neutral corner, then hopped down onto the middle rope and advanced toward Kiriko, who finally pulled herself up so that she was straddling the top rope.

Yuki, seeing the trouble her partner was in, tossed a pair of regulation clubs her way. "Kiriko!"

With Kodachi mere moments away from attacking, Kiriko leaned back and spotted the incoming tools. Catching one in each hand, she bounced forward and crossed them in front of her just in time to block Kodachi's club from drilling her in the jaw. Undeterred by the block, Kodachi kept on attacking and putting pressure on her nemesis. Kiriko was defending with everything she had. She wanted to get back to a standing position, but Kodachi just wasn't allowing her to do so.

"_Damn her! Whatever, Yuki should have it ready by now,_" Kiriko thought. It seemed like the perfect time to put her special trick into action.

When Kodachi next attacked, Kiriko blocked it, then pushed off on Kodachi's club using both of her own. With that little bit of extra time she'd bought herself, Kiriko then sprung off the middle rope and into a back flip, landing on the ropes over on the other side of her corner. Kodachi didn't follow, allowing Kiriko time to get back to her feet. Then, for the second time in the match, Kiriko made a "bring it" motion with her hands, beckoning Kodachi to come to her. "Come on. Come on!"

Kodachi understood perfectly what this was all about. With Kiriko's corner being between the two gymnasts, Kiriko wanted Kodachi to take that path to get to her—the path that led right over the ropes that Ringo believed were greased. "_I see. You really are attempting this treachery again, you harlot,_" Kodachi bit down on her bottom lip, inwardly cursing the other girl. "_Well, in that case...perhaps I shall play along!_"

To Ringo's horror, Kodachi jumped over toward Kiriko's corner, looking intent on landing directly on the greased middle rope. "Kodachi, no!" she screamed.

Kiriko was grinning like a jackal as she watched Kodachi fall into her trap. "_That's it! I've got you, now!_"

As Kodachi's feet hit the greased rope, they slipped, and her entire body went flying between the ropes. The Sakura Army rose to their feet in concern as Kodachi looked to be on her way out to the floor, but luckily, there was something in Kodachi's path: Kiriko's second, Yuki. Tossing her club forward at the unsuspecting girl, Kodachi grabbed the top rope with her now free hand and planted both of her feet into the club, driving it straight into Yuki's face and knocking the girl's glasses off. Kodachi used Yuki to push off of, kicking her body back toward the ring, where she landed on the ropes on the other side of Kiriko's corner. Yuki, meanwhile, went flying from Kodachi's kick. The back of her head slammed into the bleachers when she landed, leaving her down on the floor, clutching her cranium in pain.

"Kodachi!" Ringo called out to her partner, tossing her a replacement club.

Kodachi, feeling the wrenching pain in her ribs again after exerting her body like that, caught the club and backed away from the greased portion of the ropes, ready to defend herself. Kiriko, however, wasn't coming after her.

"Hey, hey! Referee, that isn't allowed! Disqualify her!" Kiriko complained to the official.

This time, Kiriko may have been right. "Time out!" the referee halted the match, walking over to Kiriko's corner outside the ring. "Kodachi, attacking seconds isn't allowed!"

Kodachi knew that was, in fact, part of the rules, but she wasn't unprepared for this turn of events. "Oh, I did not do it on purpose," she claimed, pointing to the middle rope. "That rope is unusually slick, and it caused me to slip. I believe you would do well to inspect it."

A worried look now came over Kiriko as the referee, performing due diligence, checked the rope in question. "What? What is this?" the official asked, staring at the grease on her hand after she rubbed it over the rope. "Kiriko! Why is this on the rope?"

"Wh-why are you asking me?" Kiriko looked away, playing innocent. "Old man Tanaka hired the idiots that put this ring together, not me. One of the oafs probably spilled something there!"

The referee eyed Kiriko sharply. She hadn't seen anything going on, and thus she had no definite proof that Kiriko was the one behind the slick ropes. For now, all she could do was rule on the status of the match. "Kodachi is not disqualified! This was accidental contact as a result of a slip!" she declared, much to the delight of the Joudai High students. "Time in!"

After all that, the match was going again, only now, Kiriko was without her ailing second. She could have raised a fuss about not giving Yuki time to recuperate, but she knew she was already fortunate to escape penalty for the grease on the ropes. Pushing her luck too much may not end well for her. Plus, despite the ruling not going her way, the current situation was still in her favor. Kodachi had only one club, while she had two. "Kodachi!" Kiriko hissed, lunging over to the other set of ropes where her adversary was waiting.

Kodachi held up her club to protect herself as Kiriko's dual clubs converged on her. Kiriko hit her landing, feet on the middle rope with the top rope between her knees just as before, and the club war was on. Their bodies were sore and growing more tired by the second, but Kodachi and Kiriko swung their clubs at each other with more vigor than they had even at the start of the match. Kodachi was on the defensive more often than Kiriko because of her arm disadvantage, yet Kiriko just couldn't seem to land the big hit she needed.

The wild exchange continued on for half a minute, and then, Kodachi got fed up with defending herself. As Kiriko took another swing, Kodachi, rather than blocking it, attacked at the same time. Each girl's club smashed into the other's cheek, leaving both of them wobbly. Kiriko was the first to recover, though, and drove one of her clubs into Kodachi's face a second time. Kodachi was staggered, and Kiriko went for a third hit, but Kodachi suddenly whipped her arm forward and knocked Kiriko back with another shot to the face.

"_This trash...she just won't go down!_" Kiriko thought, frustrated. She returned fire with another blow to the face, but fall Kodachi did not.

Kodachi wasn't even trying to defend anymore. "_As if something like that would bring me down!_" she silently fired herself up.

With a liveliness in her eyes, Kodachi smashed Kiriko in the cheek again. This time, Kiriko didn't defend, either. Kiriko bounced back, landing another hit. Then Kodachi. Then Kiriko. Then Kodachi. And they just kept going.

As the thousands of students watching stood and applauded, what had started out as a battle of skill had turned into a battle of spirit. Defense was being completely disregarded. Each gymnast was daring the other to give them their best shot, each determined to prove that they were better than the other.

"Go, Kodachi, go!" Ringo yelled from Kodachi's corner.

Out in the crowd, Shampoo surprisingly joined the Joudai High students and jumped to her feet. "You keep going, Kuno girl! Beat that stupid one!" she passionately shouted.

Ranma quirked an eyebrow at Shampoo, not believing what he was hearing. He had a feeling she might have secretly been rooting for Kodachi, but he never expected her to make it this obvious. Any thoughts about poking fun at her for it were soon dismissed, however, as he recalled the elbow he'd taken to his side the last time he did so. Best to keep his mouth shut this time around.

"Now _this_ is a fight! You've got this, 'Dachi!" Sakura cheered her on.

"Show her your indomitable Kuno spirit, Sister!" Tatewaki Kuno raised his wooden sword in the air. "Fight until she falls!"

The back-and-forth club strikes persisted, the ordeal now reaching the one-minute mark. Both competitors were starting to show signs of tiring. The attacks were slowing down, and both girls were breathing very heavily.

"Kiriko! You're the best! Go, go, go!" Azusa played the cheerleader role on the opposite side of the gym.

"Do it for the pride of Kolhotz High, Kiriko!" Mikado joined in.

The blows began to slow even further, and with every shot, the supporters of the gymnast that landed the hit voiced their approval. No matter anyone's feelings toward either girl, they were both putting on a hell of a showing, and Hiroyuki Tanaka, on the edge of his seat over by the announcer's table, couldn't have been happier with his decision to allow the match to go on as he observed the spectacle. This level of competition was more than he had ever hoped for.

Kodachi landed yet another hit, and the sweat that had been dripping down Kiriko's face went flying. Then, her cheek red and swollen, Kiriko responded with another shot of her own, and the sweat flew from Kodachi's face as well. Both girls were exhausted and gasping for air, but neither wanted to give in. Kodachi flung her arm forward with as much strength as she could muster and hit Kiriko yet again. Kiriko swayed backward, then ahead. She raised her arm to swing her club again...but then, she let it fall to her side. Drained and unable to land another blow, Kiriko fell forward, and at the same time, so did Kodachi. The two worn out gymnasts collapsed against each other, the only thing holding them up being the weight of their adversary.

While a torrent of support poured in for either of them from the fans, both girls were just trying to catch their breath as each of their heads were pressed up against the shoulder of the other gymnast.

"I...am going...to be champion!" Kiriko declared in-between breaths. "Why...why won't you...just get out of my way?"

"I came here...to put an end...to this facade that has played out...over the past three years," Kodachi weakly replied, her face—still partially stained green from some of Kiriko's mist that hadn't been washed off—showing just as much of the punishment inflicted upon it as Kiriko's was. "And that is...just what I intend to do!"

Digging deep, both girls pushed off of each other and swung their clubs at the same time. Both hits landed on their opponent's jaw, and neither girl could keep her footing afterward. Kiriko fell toward the inside part of the ring, while Kodachi fell outside of it. Amidst gasps from their respective fans, the two gymnasts clutched at the ropes as they fell, their feet swinging dangerously close to the floor.

The referee changed her position repeatedly, switching back and forth so that she could check on both competitors.

"Hang on, Kodachi!" Ringo screamed to her partner.

Kodachi was holding onto the bottom rope for dear life, both with her good arm and with one leg that she had wrapped around the rope. On the other side of the ropes, Kiriko had hold of the top rope with one hand and the middle rope with the other, while her legs dangled close to the floor beneath the ring. Thus far, the referee had determined that neither girl had touched the floor.

"C'mon, 'Dachi! Get back up!" Sakura urged her on.

It was slow, and it was being done very carefully, but both Kodachi and Kiriko were navigating along the ropes to get to a safer position. Kodachi crawled along the bottom rope, around the ring post, and over to the side of the ring between her corner and a neutral corner, where she began making her way back to her feet at the midpoint of the ropes. Kiriko moved around her corner, too, making sure to avoid the middle rope where the grease had been applied, and wound up on the side of the ring between her own corner and the other neutral corner, where she also made the gradual move to get back to her feet.

Once the girls were up, they both draped themselves over the top rope. They were now on opposite sides of the ring, staring across at each other as they tried to recover some small amount of energy to go on.

The match wasn't going to last much longer; everyone could see that. And right now, if anyone had an advantage, it was Kodachi. After all, the gymnasts were at a far distance from each other, which nullified the use of Kiriko's one-club advantage, and Kodachi was the only one whose second was currently able to help her partner. She knew it wouldn't stay that way for long, though, as Yuki would likely recover soon from the blow to her head. Thus, the question became, what should Kodachi do while she still had the bonus of a second?

Long-range attacks would be the obvious course of action here, especially since Kiriko was stuck with nothing but two clubs. Hoops, however, she would still probably be able to deflect. A ribbon could be useful, but in reality, Kiriko could, and _would_, likely just hide behind a ring post where she was safe from the ribbon until either Yuki came around or Kodachi moved within range of her clubs.

As Kodachi continued to regain her breath, the answer that came to mind would be that she had to lure Kiriko into an exchange that Kiriko believed she would win. And, given the current situation, Kodachi just happened to have a little something up her sleeve that may do the trick.

"Kiriko!" Kodachi called out toward the other side of the ring. She moved up to where she was standing on the middle rope again, then pointed her lone club at her opponent. "With my one club, I am certain I can defeat your two clubs in a single attack. Therefore, I challenge you to one final exchange! What say you, Kiriko Nakajima?"

Kiriko narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the gymnast across the ring. This all sounded too good to be true. "Whatever you're up to, I'm not falling for it!" she defiantly responded. "You wouldn't take a risk like that! How dumb do you think I am?"

Kodachi could see that it was going to take some further convincing to lure Kiriko in. "What did you say before? That you wished to show me how large the gap between us was, correct?" Kodachi brought up Kiriko's earlier comments. "I agree that there is a gap between us, but you are wrong about one detail: I, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke, am the one that is far above you, and you need to be shown that once and for all! That is my only reason for this. So, Kiriko Nakajima, do you accept, or do you yield?"

Now Kiriko's attitude changed. Kodachi had targeted the diva's most vulnerable spot: her ego. "Ha...hahahahahaha! You? Above me? That's hilarious!" Kiriko mocked Kodachi's claim. "Come on! Come at me! I _dare_ you!"

Kiriko was officially on board with Kodachi's challenge. With the final exchange of the match looking to be at hand, the entirely of the crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of what was to come.

"What the hell is she thinking?" Sakura vented over Kodachi's strategy from the front row. "This isn't the time to get crazy! Just pick her off from a distance!"

Others that knew Kodachi better weren't so sure of the Kuno girl's intentions, though.

"Ranma, you think she really do this?" Shampoo asked her pigtailed beau.

"You kiddin'? It ain't like her at all," Ranma scoffed at the idea. "There's gotta be somethin' else goin' on in her head. The heck's she up to?"

If there was something else going on, however, Ringo sure didn't know about it. "_She's going for it all when she's outnumbered in clubs? Kodachi, what are you thinking?_" the waitress silently fretted at ringside. "_She can't be serious about this! Please, tell me she's not!_"

Kodachi had laid the foundation for her plan. Now, she needed to relay it to her second. Reaching behind her back with her good arm, she made a motion that would lead anyone to believe she was simply adjusting her leotard. But, hidden from Kiriko's view, she also stuck out her middle and index fingers three separate times—a sign that Ringo recognized.

"_That signal...oh! OH! Now I get it, Kodachi!_" Ringo thought to herself, immensely relieved that Kodachi had a better plan in mind than what she was letting on. This particular plan required a certain type of tool, though, which meant that Ringo would have to do some quick searching. "_Okay, need something big. Something big...aha!_"

Kodachi was ready. Ringo was ready.

On the other side of the ring, Kiriko stepped up onto the middle rope, as well. "_This trash is really going to hand me the match,_" she gleefully thought. "_All I have to do is block her attack with one club, knock her to the floor with the other, and it'll all be over!_"

Many wondered if Kodachi would really go through with such a risky move, but all doubt was soon put to rest. Kodachi raised one foot up, placed it against the top rope, and jumped out toward the middle of the ring.

Kiriko, the look of a victor already on her face, jumped out to meet her. She reached back with one club, ready to attack as soon as Kodachi's club was blocked. "_This is it!_" she told herself. "_Bye bye, Koda-...eh?_"

From out of the corner of Kiriko's right eye, something suddenly caught her attention. The mangled trash can Kodachi had wailed on her with was flying through the air, and it was on a direct path to come right between the converging gymnasts. Then, as Kiriko looked back at Kodachi, she saw the reality of it all; she'd just been baited into a trap. Kodachi had raised her feet up, allowing her club to fall to her side. From the very start, she hadn't planned on attacking with her hands.

The trash can moved between the two girls, and Kodachi was in perfect position to put it to use. "Disappear, Kiriko!" she shouted, and with that, she drove her feet straight into the deformed hunk of metal.

Kiriko threw her hands up to try to protect herself, but it made little difference. The trash can smashed into her hands and face with an incredible force, and both gymnasts flew back from the point of impact. Kiriko sailed through the air on such a path that the back of her knees hit the top rope, and she looked to be heading out of the ring. As her knees sprang forward, however, her feet hooked onto the outside part of the middle rope, and the rest of her body was prevented from dropping out to the floor.

Kodachi, too, hit the ropes as she flew back. The momentum pulled her body over the top rope, and, dropping her club, she grabbed hold of it to keep herself from falling. Her right leg became caught underneath the middle rope, though, and pulled it upward as she fell over. As a result, her ankle became snared between the top and middle ropes, leaving her dangling upside down above the floor outside the ring.

Meanwhile, after Kiriko's body first bounced upward from the recoil of the ropes, one of her feet slipped free from the middle rope. There wasn't enough bounce to free the other one, though. Kiriko, barely conscious, was hanging over the edge of the ring and holding on with just that one foot hooked onto the middle rope. Her hands dangled dangerously close to the floor—close enough that the referee rushed over to check it out.

While the decision was being made, Kodachi, herself in a problematic position, grabbed onto the bottom rope and yanked herself over it and onto the support bars inside the ring. Her foot was still caught in the ropes above, but it would be a moot point so long as Kiriko had made contact with the floor. Had she done it? Was it finally over?

After thoroughly surveying the scene, the referee sprung up and threw her arms out to either side. "Safe! Kiriko is not touching the floor!" she declared.

Kodachi, Ringo, and everyone rooting for them couldn't believe it. Kiriko had been knocked silly, and _still_ she remained in the match.

"You're kidding me!" an exasperated Ringo exclaimed.

"'Dachi! She's KO'd! Finish her off!" Sakura impatiently called out to her fellow gymnast.

Expressions of dread came over the faces of the Kolhotz High students. Their representative wasn't out of it yet, but the situation looked grim. Kiriko was completely defenseless.

Kodachi scrambled to free herself from the ropes. She needed to finish off Kiriko fast before the diva regained her senses. She tried reaching up to grab the ropes that bound her foot, but the pain in her ribs was just too great to stretch her body that much. Desperate, she grabbed onto the ring's support bars with her one good hand and tried pulling herself free. She was in such a weakened state that she just didn't have enough strength to do it, though. It may not have worked out well, anyway, since it was questionable whether or not the support bars could hold her full weight.

Agitated by her lack of progress and the time she was wasting, Kodachi looked toward the spot where Kiriko hung from the ropes. That one foot of hers was all that was keeping her afloat in this match, Kodachi noticed. Were it to be freed from the middle rope, it and the rest of Kiriko's body would drop over the top rope and to the floor outside the ring, effectively ending the contest. If that was all that needed to be done...

"Ringo, ribbon!" Kodachi yelled to her second. Yes, if she could just wrap her ribbon around Kiriko's foot, she could coerce it off of that rope.

"Right!" Ringo nodded. She dove down into the tool bags, picked up a ribbon...and then abruptly stopped. "Wh-...what..." Her body began to shiver, and an intense, frightening feeling spread throughout her. "N-...no...this is..."

Out in the front row of the crowd, Ranma felt a strange chill run down his spine. "Whoa, what the..." he began to say. It was a bizarre feeling he couldn't explain, almost as if his body was trying to warn him of impending danger. Then, as he looked around to see if there was anything out of place, he noticed something: a faint, green glow coming from his pants pocket. Realizing what the cause of it likely was, he whirled around to make sure Shampoo wasn't looking, which she wasn't—her eyes were completely focused on the ongoing match. Ranma then reached into the pocket and pulled out the wooden cube that Jynn had given him for safekeeping. Sure enough, the peculiar symbols on each side of the cube were glowing.

Ranma quickly stuffed the cube back into his pocket. Luckily, everyone was so focused on the match that they hadn't noticed the object. Still, why was it glowing all of a sudden, he wondered? What did it mean?

Up in the ring, Kodachi was still trying to wriggle her ankle free from the ropes as she looked back to her corner again. "Ringo, hurry!"

Ringo remained down below the ring apron, though. She could hear Kodachi calling out to her, but she couldn't move at all. "Not now!" she cried, holding herself tightly. "What is this? What's going on?"

"_There's no need to worry._"

The young redhead's eyes shot open wide as she heard another voice inside her head. This voice...she'd heard it once before. "Wh-who are you? Tell me!" Ringo pleaded.

"_It's okay,_" the voice calmly spoke to her, "_...I'll take it from here._"

Kodachi was getting extremely restless. Precious time was wasting away. "Ringo!" she shouted to her corner again. Seemingly reacting to her call, a head of red hair rose up from behind the ring apron at last. It was Ringo, but...something wasn't right. As Kodachi met eyes with her, she could feel something different. There was no kindness in Ringo's eyes. Rather, they were cold, and hateful. "Ringo?"

With those cold eyes, Ringo looked down at the ribbon in her hand, then back to Kodachi. A dark smile crossed her face. Then, the unthinkable: she allowed the ribbon to fall from her hand and down to the floor.

"Ringo? What are you doing?" a bewildered Kodachi asked her second. Ringo's only answer, however, was to start walking away from Kodachi's corner. "Ringo!"

On the other side of the ring, amidst the developing chaos, Kiriko was beginning to stir. Her eyes opened, and she soon realized that she was hanging upside down. She was groggy, but she wasn't aware of the match ending yet, and thus, her fighting instincts kicked in. As she looked up, she saw that one light that had been loosened by her hoop earlier still hanging from the ceiling by its cord. Then, tilting her head toward the ground, she noticed a ribbon sitting near her hand, and snatched it between her fingers. Slowly, arduously, she would use the strength of her one leg hooked onto the middle rope to try to pull her aching body up...and she did.

With blood dripping from her nose at an even greater rate thanks to Kodachi's trash can, Kiriko—now seated on the top rope—surveyed the scene. Ringo was walking away from the ring, and Kodachi was screaming to her. What that was all about, Kiriko had no idea. She looked to her left. Her last yo-yo hoop that Kodachi had cut the string to was sitting around the ring post in her nearby corner. She looked up to the ceiling again, right at that hanging light. An idea was putting itself together.

Ringo kept on walking, staring at Kodachi with those heartless eyes all the while, and then finally turned away as she started walking past the Leopard tank that she and Kodachi had rode in on. She was heading straight for the gymnasium's exit.

"Ringo! Did I do something wrong? If I did, then I am sorry! I apologize! Just come back!" Kodachi screamed, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Ringo!"

"The hell is THIS? Where does she think she's going?" Sakura asked in confusion.

Tatewaki Kuno, interested in learning the very same thing, turned to Ranma for answers. "Saotome, what is the meaning of this? Why does she leave my sister's side?"

"Like I know!" Ranma snapped back at him.

Having been around Ringo so often at the restaurant, Shampoo could tell something wasn't right with her. "Ranma...that really is Ringo?"

Ranma didn't know how to answer. It was Ringo's body all right, but he'd never seen her with that sort of look on her face, completely devoid of warmth. And this was all happening at the same time that the cube had started to glow. Was there some kind of connection? What could that thing possibly have to do with Ringo, though?

Everyone's focus had shifted away from the match, but that didn't erase the fact that it was still ongoing. Kiriko, having grabbed the damaged hoop that sat on the ring post, looked to the ceiling and measured up a new target. She then whirled her hoop upward, sending it straight on a path for the hanging light's cord. There was a bright flash of sparks as the cord was severed by the hoop, and then, the large light began to fall toward the ring.

Kodachi had completely forgotten about her opponent. Her second—her companion—was walking away from her, and now, Kodachi broke down crying. "Ringo! Were we not going to win this together? Then why?" she wailed, tears streaming down her face. "WHYYYYYYY?"

Up on the ring's top rope, Kiriko grinned maniacally through the stream of blood from her nostril as she flung her ribbon into the air and wrapped it around the descending light. "Lights out, Kodachi!"

With a tug of her ribbon, Kiriko brought the heavy light down onto the back of Kodachi's head, and the sound of shattering glass resounded throughout the gym. The fans of both gymnasts were speechless as they watched Kodachi's body be driven down into the ring's support bars, which began to come apart from the force of the impact. The bars managed to hold Kodachi up in the end, but it didn't matter. The broken light rolled away and dropped down to the floor beneath the ring, leaving Kodachi laying there...limp and unmoving.

Kiriko wobbled a bit, then dropped her ribbon's handle and gripped the top rope tightly with both hands in an effort to maintain her balance. "Count! Count!" she yelled to the referee.

While Kodachi's leg may have been tangled in the ropes, most of her body was still on top of the support bars, which was all that was left of the ring's canvas. Thus, according to the referee, this situation did, indeed, constitute a down, and a ten count could therefore take place. "_One...two..._"

"Sister! You must rise!" Tatewaki Kuno urged his younger sibling, not yet giving up hope.

"_...three...four..._"

Sakura turned away, hands locked across the back of her head. She couldn't bear to watch this.

"_...five...six..._"

The Extreme Gymnastics Federation's owner, Hiroyuki Tanaka, put his head down. For such an incredible match to come to this was a travesty that he wished he didn't have to witness.

"_...seven...eight..._"

Neither Ranma nor Shampoo knew what to say. They could only look on helplessly as the count neared its end.

"_...nine..._"

Some members of the Sakura Army still believed that Kodachi would spring back up. That she would knock Kiriko from her perch and win out of nowhere. That she would go on to face Priscilla Winters in the tournament's final round. That she would save them all from the reign of the undefeated Champion that everyone deplored.

Kodachi wouldn't move, though. She just wouldn't move.

"_...ten!_"

Kiriko, laughing hysterically despite her body's condition, slipped down from the ropes and landed on the floor. The ring bell never rung, as it was buried beneath the rubble under the ring, but the result of the match was the same regardless. The referee ran over to Kiriko and raised her hand into the air.

The announcer grabbed her microphone to do her job, as well. "Ladies and gentlemen, your winner, and moving on to the final round of the Queen of Extreme Tournament, Kiriko Nakajima!"

The crowd was stunned silent, all of them racking their brains over what in the world had just happened. Even amongst Kiriko's fellow Kolhotz High students, who should have been celebrating her victory, there was no joy in the result. All they could feel was pity for Kodachi after watching her heartbreaking reaction to her second walking out on her.

"Betrayed by one you trust. How terrible," Mikado lamented over the scene that had unfolded. "As the Match Breakers of the Ice, we pride ourselves on breaking pairs apart, but never have I seen such a blatant betrayal where we were not the cause."

Beside him, Azusa had to dry her eyes as she couldn't stop herself from crying. She had witnessed her share of hurt feelings as a result of the Couple Cleaver that she and Mikado had used over the years, but this was on another level. Several others in the crowd were brought to tears by Kodachi's emotional display, as well.

Yuki, finally coming back around after Kodachi had knocked her down, wandered over to Kiriko and helped the battered gymnast to her feet.

Kiriko continued to laugh euphorically as Yuki supported her weight and kept her upright. "Hahahahahaaa! I told you I was better, Kodachi! I told you!" she taunted the unconscious girl without remorse. "I'm the best! ME! Hahahahahaha!"

So happy was Kiriko to escape with a win that she didn't even care to admonish her fans for not celebrating. With injuries to be taken care of and grass burrs to be pulled from Kiriko's skin, Yuki slowly led her overjoyed partner back to the locker room area, where they were joined by some of the EGF's medical personnel.

The referee, meanwhile, hurried to the other side of the ring to check on Kodachi. Tatewaki Kuno had already left his seat to do the same.

Those who had come to support Kodachi weren't happy with the result, but none were more displeased than Sakura. As she stared at Kodachi's prone body hanging from the ropes, Sakura began to shake with uncontrollable anger. Then, she turned her head toward the gym's exit. She wasn't going to let this go unpunished. Not a chance in hell. Her rage getting the best of her, Sakura took off running, jumped right onto and over the tank, and set her sights on the individual who was leaving the scene.

"Ranma, she go after Ringo!" Shampoo alerted the pigtailed boy.

"Yeah, we gotta go after her," Ranma said, knowing things were about to get ugly.

Outside the gym, Ringo was walking along the concrete path leading away from the building, still with that uncharacteristically malevolent expression on her face. Even as she heard loud footsteps behind her, she kept on going, until finally she spun around to see who was approaching her. The only thing she would get to see was a clenched fist, though, as Sakura drilled her with as hard a punch to the cheek as she could throw.

Ringo fell, hitting the ground hard. "Oww, oww, oww..." she groaned, grabbing the throbbing area on her face. Painstakingly sitting up after the rough landing, she focused her eyes on Sakura, only now she had a look in those eyes that everyone was much more accustomed to seeing from her. "Wh-...what? Sakura?"

"That enough!" Shampoo came up from behind Sakura and hooked the enraged gymnast's arms to keep her from going after Ringo any further.

Ranma was right there, too, bending down to check on his former female half as soon as he arrived. "You okay, Ringo?"

"You...little...TRAITOR!" Sakura snarled at Ringo. "You make me sick!"

Ringo batted her eyes at the pink-haired girl, clueless as to what she was alluding to. "What? What do you mean, Sakura?" she asked, starting to look around at her surroundings now. "Why...why am I outside?"

"Oh, playing dumb now, huh?" Sakura glared down at her. She tried breaking free of Shampoo's hold, but was thus far unsuccessful in doing so. "Y'know, between every gymnast and her second, there's a bond of trust. And you...you just broke that. You're the worst kind of scum on this whole stinking planet!"

"I...I broke...what?" Ringo shook her head, still not understanding the gymnast's gripe. Confused, she turned toward Ranma. "What is she talking about?"

"Still acting innocent? You're pathetic," Sakura grew even more disgusted with Ringo. "Whatever, you don't gotta explain anything to me. I just hope you've got a better excuse for Kodachi when she wakes up."

Fed up with looking at Ringo, Sakura fought off Shampoo's arms and was freed by the Amazon girl as she stormed away, back toward the gymnasium.

For some reason, there was a horrible feeling in Ringo's heart that she couldn't shake. Why was Sakura so angry with her? Why wasn't she at ringside helping Kodachi? What was going on?

"Ranma, Shampoo, what happened?" the frightened girl asked her friends. "What did I...what did I do?"

Ranma and Shampoo shared an uncomfortable look with one another. This wasn't the Ringo that had just walked out on Kodachi. This was _their_ Ringo, and explaining to their Ringo what she had just done was going to be one of the most unenviable tasks either of them had ever undertaken.

Back inside the gym, Kodachi's foot was gently freed from the ropes. Not one of the students present to watch the match had chosen to leave. Everyone just looked on in silence as Kodachi was loaded onto a stretcher, on which she would be taken to the school's infirmary for treatment.

Sakura returned just as the stretcher was ready to be moved. She walked right over to it, stared down upon Kodachi's body for a moment, and then gave her a light pat on the shoulder, followed by a respectful nod. She didn't take her eyes off of that stretcher even once as the medical personnel carried Kodachi away, and behind Sakura, the entirety of her army began to applaud for the defeated gymnast.

Over on the other side of the ring, Mikado Sanzenin offered his own applause in an unexpected demonstration of class, and Azusa and the rest of the Kolhotz students present followed his example.

Everyone in the gymnasium bleachers that day recognized and appreciated that Kodachi Kuno had fought valiantly. She was the 11th Seed in the tournament, ranked far below her opponent, and yet she showed everyone that she truly belonged in the same ring as her, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't the trash that Kiriko claimed she was.

Kodachi's run through the Queen of Extreme Tournament, however, was now over, and her quest for redemption had just ended in the worst way imaginable.

* * *

**End of Chapter 19**


	45. QoE: Awakening

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

*_tweet tweet..._*

*_chirp chirp chirp..._*

Beneath the late afternoon sky, birds sitting atop tree branches and other perches around Kolhotz High School were happily singing the day away. Clouds had moved in throughout the past few hours, leaving overcast conditions hanging over the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, but it did little to put a damper on the moods of the birds. It was only a shame that their state of bliss couldn't be shared by other creatures nearby.

Within the nurse's office at Kolhotz High were both of the siblings Kuno.

Tatewaki Kuno sat cross-legged on a chair next to one of two beds. His hands rested on the hilt of his wooden sword before him, the tip of which was balancing on the floor below. Opening his eyes, he cast a glance over at the bed, studying the vision of his sister who remained quiet and still in a state of rest.

Kodachi had a small bag of ice sitting on her swollen left cheek, as well as a cold pack laying underneath her head to reduce the swelling in the area where the gymnasium's light had fallen on her. Her brother had washed away the last traces of Kiriko's green mist from her face, but it was an act of little significance considering her other ailments, and Tatewaki was well aware of that fact. After looking Kodachi over, medics employed by the Extreme Gymnastics Federation believed she had sustained no serious physical injury apart from some nasty contusions. They did, however, recommend to Tatewaki that he arrange a trip to the hospital for his sister to have x-rays taken if she experienced an unusually high level of pain in her ribs or left arm over the next few days. Given the ferocity of Kiriko's chain whips, a fracture in either area couldn't be completely ruled out.

The physical pain, though, wasn't what Tatewaki Kuno was concerned about. Far more than that, it was his sister's mental anguish. Strangely enough, it wasn't so long ago that he never had to worry about such things. Kodachi was always strong, never in need of her brother's support. Even after losing to Kiriko three years ago, she coped with it on her own, and life moved on. Thus, it was quite the surprise for Tatewaki when he returned home a month ago and found Kodachi looking such a dismal, defeated mess.

On that day one month ago, Tatewaki had urged his sister to leave the confinement of their estate. When she came back, she had a fire in her eyes once more. She had a goal. She had purpose. She had...Ringo. The former pigtailed girl, now sporting a ponytail, provided Kodachi an unexpected wealth of support from that day forward. Their personalities clashed and they had their quarrels, but as time passed, they became able to understand each other. Together, they were excited, determined, and full of confidence.

...And then today happened.

Tatewaki Kuno looked over his sister's face—a face showing little sign that her slumber was a peaceful one. What cruel fate had caused this to happen, he wondered? What had led to Kiriko defeating Kodachi for a second time? What had taken that red-haired girl, who was cheering Kodachi on with more passion than anyone else that day, and made her walk out on her own partner? Had something transpired between them that Tatewaki hadn't known about? Surely it must have, because he could think of no other logical explanation for what he had witnessed.

Those eyes of his sister, closed shut...Tatewaki was dreading the moment they opened. At that time, reality would truly set in for the Black Rose of St. Hebereke.

"Nnn..."

Tatewaki's heart jumped in his chest. A light groan had just come from Kodachi's throat. That could only mean one thing: she was awakening.

Kodachi's eyelids began to move, and then, very slowly, they opened up. As everything came into focus, she found herself staring up at a white ceiling. For whatever reason, the room she was in wasn't very bright.

"Sister?" the elder Kuno inched closer to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Brother...dear?" Kodachi wearily uttered, recognizing the voice. Once she turned her head to the side, she could see his face, as well. She tried moving her extremities. Fingers, check. Toes, check. Legs, check. Arms...check, though her left one wasn't responding very well. Moving her body any more proved to be difficult. "I...cannot move well. Brother dear, where...where am I?"

"You are in the infirmary of Kolhotz High School," Tatewaki told her.

Bringing her right arm out from underneath the bed's sheet, Kodachi plopped her hand over her face. "I see. I must have collapsed from exhaustion after defeating Kiriko. How shameful of me."

Tatewaki batted his eyes at his sister, surprised by her words. Why did she just insinuate that she had won the match? Did she not remember what had happened?

In the midst of her brother's confusion, Kodachi surveyed the room. There was something...missing. "Ringo? Where is Ringo?" she asked. Tatewaki replied only with a look of pity as he realized that she was unaware of her second's actions. "Is she waiting outside because she cannot bear to see me like this? Really, such a fragile girl she is," Kodachi smiled ever so slightly. "Ringo, just come in here!"

Tatewaki Kuno said nothing.

"Ringo!" Kodachi called out for the redhead again. She waited for some sort of response, but there was none. "Has she gone to the restroom? Brother dear, please go urge her to hurry, would you?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Tatewaki stood up. He faced his sister with a demeanor of the utmost seriousness. "Ringo...is not here."

"Not...here?" Kodachi blinked. That didn't make any sense; Ringo would definitely be with her after the match, right? "If not here, then where is she? When is she coming?"

"Do you truly not remember?" her brother asked. As much as he would rather not do it, he had to let her in on the awful truth. "Sister...you did not emerge victorious in today's match."

One look at Kodachi showed that she clearly didn't understand what she'd just heard. "What do you mean?"

"I am saying you were defeated by Kiriko," Tatewaki clarified for her, gripping tightly the hilt of his sword.

Kodachi's breathing began to escalate. Surely she was misunderstanding what her brother was trying to tell her. Right? But, somehow, she had a terrible feeling growing in her chest right now. "No, that cannot be," she insisted, shaking her head. "Ringo! Ringo, where are you?"

"She abandoned you, sister!" Tatewaki bellowed all of a sudden. As Kodachi's expression went blank, her brother clenched his fist, silently cursing whatever had brought about this scenario where he would have to explain such a thing to his younger sibling. "She left you to fend for yourself before the match's end. I wish my eyes were merely deceiving me, but that is most certainly what happened."

"Oh...ohoho...ohohohoho...!" Kodachi let out a nervous laugh. Of course, her brother was joking! It was all a joke, but a cruel one at that. There was no way Ringo would...

"_Ringo? What are you doing?_"

Kodachi bolted up to a sitting position. The pain in her ribs was immense, but that was the furthest thing from her mind right now. She grabbed her forehead. Something was coming back to her. She could hear it.

"_Ringo! Were we not going to win this together? Then why?_"

Her screams...she heard them. Her left eye, peeking out from between her fingers, opened wide. It wasn't just the sounds; she could see it, too. Walking away from her. Those hateful eyes staring back at her. It was...it was...Ringo?

"No! Ringo would not...she...she-!" Kodachi mouthed, her body trembling. Then, the worst of it came back to her—that one vision of Ringo literally turning her back on her as she walked past the tank and toward the gymnasium's exit. It had happened. It was real. And with that realization, Kodachi's hand fell down to her lap. Tears that had formed in her eyes began streaming down her cheeks. "She...betrayed me. She betrayed...me. Aaahh...aaaaaaaahhhh!"

Tatewaki felt greatly a brother's pain as he stood before the sobbing Kodachi. "Sister..."

Outside, at that very moment, an unusual scene unfolded. Hundreds of birds, all of which had previously been going about their business on the grounds of Kolhotz High, took to the air. There were echoed cries warning of danger as they all hurried away from the school. Squirrels and rabbits followed, the squirrels scampering into trees and then over the walls surrounding the grounds, while the rabbits made their escape through the open school gate. Every animal near the school was fleeing in fright. Something had terrified them right down to their very cores.

"Aaaaaahhhh...aaaahhhh...aaaahhhaha...ahahahahaha. .."

Tatewaki started to notice something different coming from his sibling. Her sniffles and choked sobs...were his ears mistaken, or had they started to turn to laughter? "Sister?"

Kodachi's laughter became even more pronounced, and soon, she was howling with it. It was loud, and it wasn't an amused laughter, either. It was dark. It was...deranged.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

His mouth agape, Tatewaki Kuno instinctively backed away from his sister. "This...this is-!"

Meanwhile, outside the room and down the hallway, Sasuke, carrying a white box in his hands, was walking alongside the school nurse, who had met him at the building's entrance. After spending the afternoon purchasing a new rickshaw—billed to one Tatewaki Kuno, of course—he had come here with the gift that Kodachi had gotten for Ringo, knowing well that his Mistress planned on giving it to her second after the match. Now that he had arrived, however, he had just learned the result of that match.

"Mistress Kodachi lost to that Kiriko again? How terrible. She must be so very disappointed," Sasuke said with worry.

"Even our own students weren't happy about it," the nurse, who was only there today because of the match, told him. "Who would be? Watching Kodachi's second walk out on her like that..."

Sasuke froze up, stopping in his tracks. He knew Kodachi had lost, but...Ringo had done _what_? It couldn't be... "Wh-what did you say?"

The school's nurse would never get the chance to answer Sasuke. Out of nowhere, a thunderous explosion rocked the building. The lights flickered, and the floor, the walls, and everything else shook violently. The nurse lost her footing and fell, prompting Sasuke to move over the woman to protect her.

Once everything had settled, Sasuke and the nurse cautiously raised their heads. Luckily, everything had held together enough to not shower the two of them with debris, but the building hadn't escaped unscathed by any means. And, to Sasuke's horror, most of the damage seemed centered around the nurse's office at the end of the hall. Around that one room, the wall was crumbling, the floor and ceiling were cracked, and the door had been blown clear off its tracks and out into the hall.

"M-Mistress Kodachi! Master Kuno!" Sasuke cried, rushing over to check on the son and daughter of the Kuno estate. The school nurse would follow soon thereafter.

What Sasuke found when he reached the office left him aghast. The entire outside wall of the room had been completely blown away, and the office itself was in ruins. The bed was overturned, the medicine cabinet flattened, and a stool was embedded into the wall by its legs, among other things. Elsewhere, Tatewaki Kuno lay unconscious on the floor, his body's figure imprinted into the wall next to him. Kodachi, though...was nowhere to be seen.

"M-...my office!" the nurse shrieked. "What happened here? It's like a bomb went off!"

In front of her, Sasuke suddenly dropped to his knees. His face drained of color. This destructive force...he recognized it. He'd believed it a nightmare from long ago that he'd never have to experience again. But, if Ringo had really done what the nurse had said she'd done...that just might do it, he thought.

"Oh, no. Oh, this is bad. This is very bad!" Sasuke, panicking, turned to the nurse. "You must get everyone away from here! Far away! Far away to safety!"

With the bewildered school nurse looking on, Sasuke bounded out the hole in the building where the office wall used to be, leaving Tatewaki Kuno behind. Doing so went against his duty as the guardian of the Kuno estate, but right now, there was something much more concerning that needed to be attended to.

* * *

Later on in the day, as evening approached, the inside of the Cat Café restaurant held a very somber atmosphere.

Ringo Saotome was seated on the floor with her back against the counter and her face pressed up against her knees. Shampoo sat next to her, one arm wrapped around the distraught girl. Ranma stood leaning back against a wall nearby with his hands in his pockets, his mind still trying to comprehend what had gone on today.

When Ranma explained to Ringo what she'd done at the end of Kodachi's match, she took the news just as harshly as both Ranma and Shampoo expected. At that time, they both decided it was best to get Ringo away from Kolhotz High as quickly as possible, lest she face the wrath of a very unhappy Sakura Army that was about to exit the gym. Thus, they hurried her out of harm's way and brought her to the restaurant.

Ranma had learned some important details regarding certain things on the way back. Ringo told him she had felt that chill again—the same kind she'd felt while working around a month ago. And, as Ranma now knew, it had happened a second time between then and today while Ringo was looking after Kodachi at the Kuno estate. Ringo had never told anyone about the second time because she didn't want to worry those close to her, but after today's events, Ranma wished he'd heard about it sooner.

As he briefly glanced down at the girls, Ranma saw Shampoo staring back at him. Even without speaking, he could read that look she had in her eyes. They were silently asking him, "What should we do?"

Ranma started to shift around the wooden cube in his pocket as he mulled over the situation. When Jynn left the cube in his care, the male Amazon mentioned that a revived Sorceress Jusenkyo may be after it. Today, the cube began to glow at the exact same time that Ringo changed. And even more troubling was the other piece of information that Ringo had let Ranma in on—that she'd heard a voice in her head both today and when the chilling feeling struck at the Kuno residence.

It couldn't have all just been a coincidence, Ranma thought. There had to be some connection. What could it be, though? He really didn't know what to make of it all, and the more he saw the pain Ringo was enduring, the less he was sure he wanted to know.

The attention of both Ranma and Shampoo was suddenly drawn to the restaurant door as it forcefully slid open. Any potential customers since they'd returned from the match had been deterred by the "Closed" sign outside the door. This person, however, was no customer. Rather, it was the troubled-looking guardian of the Kuno family, Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" Ranma blinked. He couldn't remember the ninja ever coming to the Cat Café before.

At the mention of the visitor, Ringo raised her head, looking toward Sasuke with her eyes that had become red from crying.

Sasuke, still holding that thin, white box in one hand, was out of breath after rushing to the restaurant. That didn't stop him from expressing his rage at the one who had walked out on his Mistress, though. The instant he set his sights on Ringo, he let the box fall from his hand and charged straight for her. "What have you DONE?" he shouted.

Shampoo quickly sprung to her feet. When Sasuke approached, she kicked him away, sending him flying into the opposite wall. "What you doing?" she snarled at him.

Though the kick hurt quite a bit, Sasuke never once looked at Shampoo. Even as he slowly pulled himself up after he'd dropped down from the wall, he stayed fixated on Ringo. "How could you? How...how could you do that to Mistress Kodachi?"

Ringo hung her head, shying away from Sasuke's rage-filled glare. She didn't speak a word. She could have told him the truth—that it wasn't truly her that had walked out on Kodachi. What good would it have done, though? Even if he believed her, it wouldn't erase what had happened. It wouldn't change the result of the match. It wouldn't do anything.

"Lay off, man," Ranma stepped in front of Sasuke to defend Ringo. "You don't know what's been goin' on."

Seemingly incited by Ranma's words, Sasuke finally removed his gaze from Ringo. Instead, he jumped up and latched himself onto the collar of Ranma's shirt. "Oh, I don't, huh? Let me tell you what is going on, then! Mistress Kodachi has gone missing, and you need to help me find her before people are badly hurt!"

"Before people...get hurt?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "The heck are you talkin' about?"

Sasuke pointed an accusing finger in Ringo's direction. "That double-crossing girl has pushed Mistress Kodachi into the depths of darkness!" he exclaimed. "If she is not stopped, there is no telling how many will suffer!"

"Huh? That's all you're worried about?" Ranma scoffed at the warning. "Come on, man. What's she gonna do, whip someone with a ribbon a few times?"

Sasuke, with beads of sweat rolling down his face, eyed Ranma sharply. "You weren't here the last time! You haven't seen what she is capable of!" he shook the pigtailed boy by the collar. Sasuke's head faced downward for the moment as he looked to be overcome by the gravity of the issue. "She was so much younger then. At her current age, what must she be like? I...I cannot even..."

Despite the severity of Sasuke's tone, Ranma wasn't buying into his big talk. "Would you relax? It's just Kodachi, for cryin' out loud," he muttered.

"Just Kodachi? _Just_ Kodachi?" Sasuke lit up with anger. He let go of Ranma, dropping back down to the floor. "Fine! Stay here and do nothing! See if I care! But should you happen to run into 'just' Kodachi, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Sasuke had had enough of putting up with Ranma's attitude. Ready to leave and resume the search for his Mistress, he turned toward the doorway. That was when he spotted the white box he'd dropped. Fuming, he picked it up again and looked back at Ringo.

"And you...!" Sasuke growled, throwing the box Ringo's way. It slid across the floor and came to a stop when it bumped into the tips of Ringo's shoes. "Not that you deserve it, but Mistress Kodachi had that made for you. She wanted to give it to you after today's match."

Ringo looked down at the box for several seconds, and then, hesitantly, she reached forward and picked it up. Sasuke was right, she didn't deserve it. She didn't even want to see what was inside out of fear that it would only make her feel worse. Sasuke wanted her to open it, though. She had no right to refuse after what she'd done to Kodachi earlier.

The young waitress lifted off the top of the box, and there, sitting amongst some sheets of tissue paper, was her gift. Ringo grabbed it with both hands, lifted it out, and held it up to see it clearly. It was a leotard—custom-made to look like the very one Kodachi had worn for her match today. The only differences were that the roses on this piece of attire were red as opposed to black, and rather than Kodachi's nickname, the front-left side of the leotard instead bore Ringo's name.

It struck Ringo as soon as she looked upon the gift. She'd always worn her school gym clothes during her training sessions with Kodachi because she didn't own a leotard. That small detail must have always been on Kodachi's mind. That was why Kodachi had gotten this for her.

"She trusted you," Sasuke said to her, turning away to calm himself. "Though she would never admit it, I truly believe she considered you her friend—her _only_ friend."

Sasuke walked out of the restaurant, slamming the door shut behind him.

Just when Ringo thought she couldn't cry anymore, tears rolled down her face as she stared at the leotard Kodachi had planned to give her. It was beautiful. It really was beautiful. "Kodachi..." she whimpered.

Looking to provide the upset girl some comfort, Shampoo sat back down next to her, and Ringo buried her face into Shampoo's shoulder. Shampoo pulled her closer, giving Ranma another of those sad looks he'd seen all too often today.

Ranma rubbed his forehead as he leaned back against the wall again. He had no idea what Sasuke was going on about; Kodachi wasn't _that _dangerous. If she showed up at the restaurant for some reason, he and Shampoo could handle her easily. Yeah, she wouldn't be a problem at all. The real problem, Ranma thought, was figuring out just what was going on with Ringo...and how they were going to deal with it.

* * *

That evening, after the sun had set, Kiriko Nakajima, along with her second, Yuki, were out celebrating their day's victory at an ice cream parlor.

"Another bite! Hurry it up!" Kiriko demanded of a third guest sitting beside her.

That guest, who was being treated more like a slave, was one of the shirtless men who had carried Kiriko's throne to the ring earlier in the day. Or, to be more precise, he was the first of the men to drop the throne and run when faced with the danger of Kodachi's approaching tank. "Yes, ma'am," he replied in a resigned manner. Digging a spoon into the contents of a parfait sitting before Kiriko, he brought it up to the gymnast's mouth and fed her a dose of sugary goodness.

Much like Kodachi, Kiriko's cheek was red and swollen as a result of repeated hits sustained during the match. In addition, her nose was bandaged up, and her entire body reeked of ointment that had been applied to soothe her pain. After the match, she had slipped into some very loose-fitting clothes—a light-colored, long-sleeved t-shirt and some gray sweatpants—that would both hide her bruises and minimize any rubbing of fabric against her skin.

While savoring the spoonful of her parfait, Kiriko began chuckling to herself, as she'd been doing regularly today. "That Kodachi really thought she could beat me. What an idiot," she proudly gloated.

Seated across from the other two, Yuki looked downright tired. The only time Kiriko had gone even two minutes without bragging about her victory in the hours since the match ended had been when she was screaming in agony as her leotard was peeled off, ripping the countless grass burrs out of her skin along with it. As happy as Yuki was about Kiriko's win, even she was getting sick of hearing about it.

"So," Yuki began, looking to change the subject, "...we have three weeks until your title match against Priscilla. We really should start coming up with a strategy."

As if her parfait had suddenly soured, Kiriko stopped enjoying the sugary substance and swallowed it as she turned an unfriendly leer on her second. "Strategy? We need a strategy?" she asked incredulously. "What, you don't think I can beat her?"

Faced with her partner's indomitable ego, Yuki backed down from her suggestion. "N-no, nothing like that. You'll defeat her this time, of course."

"You're damn right I will," Kiriko snorted. "Strategy. _Please_. The only thing you need to worry about is scheduling me a photo shoot with my new championship belt after I embarrass that foreign bitch like I did Kodachi."

Yuki promptly picked up her clipboard and scribbled down a memo to do just that. "I'll get right on it."

Though Kiriko had set her second straight, the very mention of her next match had dampened her celebratory mood. "I'm tired," she sighed, looking to the shirtless man. "You, Grunt, go pay for the parfait. We're leaving."

"What? Me?" the grunt, as Kiriko so affectionately deemed him, gestured to himself. "But, I-"

"Who was it that left my throne in the path of that tank earlier? Hmm?" Kiriko interrupted him, getting up in his face. "You owe me, remember?"

The grunt didn't argue. He merely hung his head, defeated, as he got up and fished his wallet out of his pocket.

"And get ready to carry me home, too!" Kiriko added to her servant's list of duties. "Don't think I'm walking anywhere with these poor, aching muscles of mine!"

When the three of them left the parlor, there weren't many others out and about on the streets. The grunt was carrying Kiriko in his arms, just as she'd ordered. Not far off in the distance there were lightning flashes in the sky, which may have explained the lack of pedestrians. The air had a scent of rain to it, as well.

"It looks like a storm is coming," Yuki pointed out.

"Great. That's just great," Kiriko grumbled. Annoyed, she kicked her servant in his upper arm. "Get a move on, Grunt! I don't want to get rained on!"

"Right away, ma'am," the shirtless man dejectedly replied.

Both Yuki and the grunt picked up their pace, hoping to reach Kiriko's home before the rains came. From the business district, they made it into the residential area, went all the way past one block, and then took a right around a corner.

That was all either Yuki or the grunt would remember.

Moments after they took that turn, a flash of violet-colored light exploded against their bodies. Concrete walls cracked and the pavement split open from the force of the blast. A nearby light post, bent so badly that it couldn't stay upright, crashed down into the street seconds later.

While panicked residents took cover in their homes or called police, the sound of footsteps moved closer to the three individuals who had been thrown outward by the explosion. There was a crunching noise as Yuki's glasses were stepped on by the attacker, crushing them beneath their foot. Yuki herself wasn't moving, nor was the grunt.

Kiriko, the only one of the three still conscious, lay flat on her side. Her body had been badly rattled by the attack, leaving her senses out of whack. Her vision was blurry, and there was a persistent ringing in her ears. She was just barely aware enough to notice when someone walked up next to her and stopped within the darkness of the night.

Trembling, Kiriko looked upward. As a flash of lightning lit the sky, the gymnast got only a glimpse of a malicious pair of eyes staring down at her. After that, she blacked out.

* * *

*_drip_*

*_drip_*

*_drip_*

Kiriko's eyebrow twitched. The back of her neck was wet. She could hear the sound of rain outside, and some of that rain was evidently dripping down onto her. Where was she, though? She was on her way home when something hit her. Then...nothing. And why did she have such an awful headache?

Starting to wake up, Kiriko managed to open her eyes a little bit at a time. At first, she wondered if she was dreaming, because wherever she was, it didn't look like any place she knew. There were two candles—one on each side of a cramped room—that provided only a little light, and the walls were made of stone. From what she could see, there weren't any windows. There were some objects cluttering the room, possibly made of wood, but she couldn't make out what they were.

Kiriko tried moving...but couldn't. Her arms, her legs...they wouldn't budge at all. She was definitely upright, so why? As she tried harder, she heard the distinct sound of chains rattling. The reason she couldn't move was because her limbs had been shackled to the wall.

"Wake up, wake up, little birdy," a voice came from within the shadows.

As Kiriko turned her attention straight ahead to the location of the voice, a third candle lit up. That candle would illuminate the face...of a crazed-looking Kodachi Kuno.

"You!" Kiriko hissed, grimacing from the sharp pain in her head. "Where the hell is this?"

"Why, this is my playroom, of course! Filled with all of my precious toys," Kodachi threw her arms out to each side, a gesture to the now-better-lit objects that filled the room. "Well, more correctly, I 'borrowed' them from a museum, but that is a minor detail. Would you not agree?"

More than what Kodachi was saying, Kiriko had taken an interest in a large object that her old nemesis appeared to be sitting on. Wooden frame, leather straps hanging off the sides...it looked suspiciously like a medieval torture rack she'd seen in textbooks. She looked more closely at the other contents of the room. Over in the far right corner...it looked like...no, it definitely was an iron maiden. The other things that she could see...she didn't know what they were called, but they all looked just as ominous, if not more so.

"You...what are you going to do? You let me out of here! Unchain me right now!" Kiriko demanded. There was a growing concern in her voice.

Setting down her candle, Kodachi hopped to her feet. "Oh, that will not do! I must give you a congratulatory gift for your victory today," she insisted. Kodachi wandered over to one of the other devices and began inspecting it. "I thought long and hard about it, you know. What could I give you as a suitable gift? What could possibly suffice? Then, it struck me! I would give you...a night you would never, _ever_ forget. Does that not sound wonderful?"

Something was very different about Kodachi. Kiriko could hear it in her voice; she could see it in her eyes. Whatever it was, it was unnerving. Quickly becoming very worried for her well-being, Kolhotz High's diva again attempted to free herself from the shackles. "You're insane! Get me out of these, you crazy b-mmmph!"

Before Kiriko could finish her insult, Kodachi swooped forward and slapped her hand over the other girl's mouth, forcing her head back into the stone wall.

Kodachi licked around her lips, taking pleasure in the gruesome thoughts running through her mind, while Kiriko winced from the pressure being put on her head. "Tonight, Kiriko...you are going to scream. You are going to cry. You are going to beg me for mercy. And I...I am going to cherish every morsel of it."

Shaken by Kodachi's declaration, a horrified look came over Kiriko's face.

"Oh, no, no, it is okay. I promise, you will survive this. After all, I want you to remember this night for a very long, long time, do I not?" Kodachi caressed Kiriko's cheek with her own, trying to ease her mind in some twisted way. "And just to show you I am not without a heart, I intend to give you something. I shall give you...a comforting thought, one that you can repeat to yourself any time the pain becomes unbearable for you. Would you like to hear it?"

Kiriko ignored the question, instead struggling with everything she could muster to try to free herself.

Kodachi didn't like this. Incensed that she was ignored, she clamped down on Kiriko's mouth and this time slammed her head back into the wall. "I SAID WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR IT!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Shaking with fright at the outburst, Kiriko finally relented, nodding her head.

Just as fast as Kodachi's temper had erupted, it subsided. Again, she became relaxed, showing a wicked smile. "Then listen well, for I will only say it once," she said, moving her mouth up by the girl's ear. Her comforting words would be spoken in a whisper. "No matter what happens to you tonight, rest assured, it is _nothing_ compared to what I plan on doing...to my dear...traitorous...second."

* * *

Night rolled over into morning, and, with the rise of the sun over the eastern horizon, it was a new day.

The new day was a Monday, which also made it the beginning of a new school week. Hence, Ranma and Ringo both set out early to make their usual trek to Furinkan High. Today's walk, however, was anything but common.

Ringo, with dark bags under her eyes, was sluggishly dragging her feet across the pavement as she walked. She was showing the effects of what had been a mostly sleepless night. Nobody would have blamed her for skipping out on classes after the kind of day she'd had yesterday, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She wasn't that kind of person.

"You feelin' any better?" Ranma asked her. He knew it was a stupid question.

Ringo offered only a slow shake of her head. It may have been a new day, but what little sleep she'd gotten last night did nothing to clear away the black cloud that was hanging over her.

"Look, try not to worry 'bout it so much," Ranma tried to console her. "Kodachi's probably gone home by now. After we get outta school, you and me can go over to Kuno's house and get this whole thing straightened out. 'Kay?"

The redhead peeked over at him through her weary eyes. "Do you...think Kodachi will understand?"

"C'mon, she's gotta know you ain't got no reason to ditch her like that," Ranma suggested. "Might have to explain it a few times, but we'll get through to her."

Quietly, Ringo turned back to the road in front of her. She hoped Ranma was right.

The two of them reached Furinkan High in good time. As they walked along the school's outer wall and neared the entrance, though, they found an unusual sight awaiting them. For whatever reason, a crowd of students had gathered around the gate.

"Huh? What's all this?" Ranma looked curiously upon the strange scene. As they approached the group of students, Ranma spotted Ukyou on the outer edge. "Yo, Ucchan! What's up?" he called out to her.

Ukyou seemed oddly disturbed as she looked toward her childhood friend. "Ran-chan," she acknowledged him. Then, noticing the other person drawing closer, she cast a worried look at her female classmate. "R-...Ringo..."

When the red-haired girl's name was spoken, every single one of the other students turned their attention toward her. The looks on their faces were difficult to discern. Were they of fear? Concern? Pity? Ranma couldn't tell.

Some students began moving back to one side or the other, and soon, the rest followed. Without going in any further themselves, they had opened up a path for Ranma and Ringo to enter through the gate.

Ranma was clueless as to what this was all about, but something was going on, that much was clear. Stepping forth, he turned into the school gate with Ringo following right behind him.

The pigtailed martial artist's eyes immediately turned upward. His feet stopped moving, and his jaw dropped. "What...the..."

As Ringo caught sight of what Ranma had seen, her fingers loosened their grip on her schoolbag, allowing it to fall to the ground.

There, bound at the wrists by an exceptionally long ribbon that stretched around the entire central clock tower, hung the body of Kiriko Nakajima. Her clothes were shredded and stained with blood. Her skin was discolored, covered with bruises and other marks. She wasn't moving an inch, nor was she making a sound. In her hair, the petals of a lone black rose shifted as a light wind blew by.

As if that wasn't enough of a message, there was also another, much clearer one. Below Kiriko's body, slashed into the remaining length of Furinkan's clock tower, was a single name: "Ringo."

* * *

**End of Chapter 20**


	46. QoE: The Will to Protect

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Quiet. Shaken. Stunned. Any of those three words, if chosen, would have described well the current state of Furinkan High School. The institution, with its students normally so full of life, had collectively been left speechless by the sight of what awaited them on the school's clock tower as everyone arrived for the day's classes. The students had seen some bizarre things over the years thanks to the likes of Principal Kuno and Happosai, the old lecher who had a fondness for stealing the girls' gym shorts and undergarments, but nobody had ever seen anything like what they saw today in the form of Kiriko Nakajima's battered body.

Kiriko was carefully removed from the clock tower once rescue personnel arrived, and was then transported to the nearest hospital. She was alive, barely, but she was an awful mess. Shampoo was soon notified of the incident by Ranma and hurried to the school to join he and Ringo, both of whom were questioned by police. For most everyone else, classes went on as planned despite the gloomy mood the events of this morning had brought about.

Ringo, however, was an exception. Rather than being in her usual classroom, she was seated in a science lab with the blinds pulled down on the windows to conceal her whereabouts. It was clear by her name being slashed into the clock tower that she was Kodachi's next intended target, making it unwise for her to attend classes normally—not that she would be able to pay attention to lectures with everything that was going on, anyway. Shampoo and Ukyou both stood guard in the room to protect the girl. The lab wouldn't be needed by teachers for another hour, giving them some time to contemplate what their next move would be.

Inside the lab, none of the three girls spoke. Ringo had her head down, still in disbelief that Kodachi had done such a thing to Kiriko. Ukyou stood against the wall by the door. Shampoo stood across from her, next to the windows.

Although Ukyou was there to look after Ringo, she spent a lot of her time staring over at Shampoo. She wanted to say something to her in the worst way, especially regarding why Tatewaki Kuno had shown up to answer the last challenge she'd sent Shampoo's way. Ukyou would have to bite her tongue and keep quiet for now, though. No matter her issues with the Amazon girl, she knew this wasn't the time nor the place for such talk.

All eyes shifted to the door as it slid open, where in walked a very subdued Ranma Saotome. Silently, he closed the door behind him and leaned back against the wall next to Ukyou.

"Are the police gone?" the okonomiyaki chef asked him.

Ranma pressed his fingers over the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, trying to alleviate some of the stress building up in his head. "Yeah. They're gonna be lookin' for Kodachi now."

Ever since she'd arrived earlier, Shampoo had noticed how troubled Ranma both looked and sounded as a result of the morning's events. In fact, he looked more troubled by it than anyone else with the exception of Ringo, which Shampoo found strange considering Ranma had no attachment to Kiriko. She didn't know what ailed her pigtailed beau so, but it was something she was going to keep in mind.

"We need protect Ringo until they find Kuno girl, yes?" Shampoo assumed.

Ringo hung her head even lower. "I'm sorry, you guys," she apologized, upset over the inconvenience this was causing her friends.

"Don't apologize. This ain't your fault," Ranma assured her. As far as he was concerned, the only one Ringo needed to be worrying about right now was herself. "It'd be nice if we could hide ya somewhere 'til someone finds Kodachi, but..."

"Yeah, it won't work," Ukyou understood what her childhood friend was thinking. "Kodachi might be watching the school from somewhere. If that's the case, she'll know Ringo's here, and she can just follow her as soon as she leaves. And where would we hide her, anyway? Kodachi probably knows where all of us live, and no one else is going to take Ringo in knowing that they might get caught up in things."

"Exactly," Ranma sighed. "Actually, if we knew Kodachi was watchin' the school, that'd be perfect. Then I could just use my Shift to take Ringo outta here, maybe find somewhere outta the way where she could stay on her own 'til this all blows over. But if we don't know where Kodachi is, there ain't no guarantee she won't spot us after I use it. I guess we don't got much choice but to just stay with Ringo all the time."

While Ranma had said that, he failed to mention another option that had run through his mind. He still had base points for his Shift technique over in China, which left open the possibility of taking Ringo all the way over there. Obviously, Kodachi would never know that Ringo had been taken so far away, and leaving Ringo in the care of Cologne and Aroma at the Amazon village would assure her safety. With the news of a sorceress running amok over there, however, Ranma worried that he may be putting Ringo in even more danger if he were to take her to China right now. Thus, that idea was ruled out in a hurry.

"_Ringo!_"

Everyone in the lab looked at each other. They all heard it; someone had called out Ringo's name nearby. The call was followed by the sound of a door sliding open, then shut, followed by what sounded like someone running, and then another door opening.

"_Ringo? Are you in here?_"

After a brief pause, that nearby door closed, and more heavy footsteps were heard. They kept on going and growing louder, until finally they stopped right outside the door to the lab.

"_Ringo!_"

The lab's door flew open, and there stood a heavily-breathing girl with long, blonde hair. With the strap of a black gym bag over her shoulder, she wore a school uniform that none of them were familiar with—one that included a red skirt shorter than those the Furinkan girls wore, as well as a red necktie around the collar of a plain white shirt.

"A-...Alysse?" Ringo stared with surprise at the familiar girl in the doorway.

"Ringo!" Alysse lit up at the sight of the redhead. Dropping her gym bag just inside the door, she ran over to the seated girl and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You're okay! Oh, thank god! I was worried sick about you!"

The focus of some curious stares from the other three in the room, Ringo blushed at the unexpected embrace of her friend, who sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down crying. "Alysse! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened, so...I left school and ran here as fast as I could," Alysse answered with a sniffle, still panting against Ringo's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath.

"Wait, you heard about this already? At another school?" Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"How you know so fast?" Shampoo asked, equally interested in how quickly the information had spread.

Slowly releasing her hold on Ringo, albeit reluctantly, Alysse stood herself up straight. She'd barely even noticed the others in the room until they'd spoken up. Honestly, she would have rather not thrown herself onto Ringo like that in front of everyone else, but she'd gotten caught up in the moment. Nothing she could do about it now. "I overheard my classmates talking about it. It's probably going around a lot of other schools, too. Kiriko Nakajima is a rather well-known athlete, even at rival institutions," she informed them. "Now you tell me, what's going on here?"

Next to her, Ringo gloomily looked away. "Kodachi...she..."

"This girl named Kodachi's a little ticked at her," Ranma answered on Ringo's behalf.

"Kodachi did this?" Alysse asked, turning back to Ringo. "Why? What happened?"

Ringo hesitated to give the blonde girl an answer to her question. Trying to explain all of this would also involve disclosing things like the bizarre chills and voices she'd been dealing with lately, and possibly the fact that she was once a part of Ranma. Those were things she hadn't told Alysse about yet since she really wasn't sure how the frequent Cat Café visitor would feel about them.

"Uh, maybe you guys can talk about it later," Ranma suggested, picking up on Ringo's discomfort. "Sounds like ya know Kodachi already, so that makes this easier. Oh, Alysse, this is Ukyou," he gestured toward the girl with the over-sized spatula. "Ucchan, this is Ringo's friend, Alysse."

Alysse had noticed before that there was someone standing near Ranma, but she'd been so focused on everything else that she hadn't taken a good look at her. Now, she finally did, and although it wasn't much, seeing Ukyou brought about a reaction as Alysse's eyes widened a bit.

Ukyou stared back at Alysse with a quizzical look about her, as well. "Ringo's...friend?" she asked, sounding as though there was something she didn't comprehend.

With a sudden sense of urgency, Alysse strode over to Ukyou and put her mouth up to her ear, whispering something that no one else in the room could hear. Alysse then backed away, and Ukyou immediately glanced over at Ringo, who was as confused as could be about what she had just watched.

Ranma and Shampoo shared likewise perplexed looks.

"Alysse know Ukyou?" Shampoo blinked.

"Yes, I've tried her okonomiyaki before," Alysse claimed. "She's quite the cook."

"Y-yeah, I thought I'd seen her in my restaurant before. Guess I was right," Ukyou added, though not sounding as convincing as the other girl.

Alysse and Ukyou appeared to be on the same page, but to both Ranma and Shampoo, something felt off about their interaction. The mystery over what had been whispered between them made it feel as though the two of them were keeping something to themselves.

"So," Alysse spoke up, "...now what?"

"Well, like we were just talkin' about before you showed up, me, Shampoo and Ucchan are gonna have to look after Ringo 'til Kodachi ain't a problem anymore," Ranma explained to the newest arrival. At the moment, he really didn't care what, if anything, was going on with Ukyou and Alysse. Ranma's foremost priority right now was Ringo's safety.

The redhead's well-being was Alysse's greatest concern, as well, but one look at her face showed her displeasure with the current plan. "Does Kodachi know where you live?" she turned and asked Ringo, to which she nodded in reply. "And does she know you work at the restaurant?"

"Mhmm," Ringo nodded once more.

"You absolutely shouldn't be at those places, then," Alysse insisted.

"You no worry about that," Shampoo chimed in, looking to ease her regular customer's worries. "Ringo stay with Ranma and Shampoo as long as need to. We protect her."

"And what if you can't? You don't know what lengths Kodachi might go to!" Alysse snapped at Shampoo with an unexpected ferocity. She wanted Ringo to be safe, and she'd seen samplings of the kind of skill Ranma and Shampoo had, but leaving Ringo somewhere known to Kodachi still came off as a terrible idea to her. No, if Ringo needed to be kept safe, Alysse had a better plan. "Ringo should come stay with me."

Ringo nearly jumped up from her seat at the very suggestion. "No! I couldn't do that!" she adamantly protested. "If I did, I'd be putting you in danger!"

"You don't have to worry about me. Kodachi doesn't know enough about me to find out where I live, so it'll be fine," Alysse defended her proposal, then whipped back around toward Shampoo. "Trust me, let me take care of her. She'll be safe with me."

Shampoo didn't necessarily agree with Alysse's point that she and Ranma might not be able to protect Ringo, but she had to admit, she _would_ feel better if Ringo weren't around if Kodachi were to attack. "Is no bad idea, but is problem get Ringo out of school," she said.

"If Kodachi's watching, and she knows what Alysse looks like, that goes for both Ringo _and_ Alysse now," Ukyou pointed out. "There's nothing stopping Kodachi from just following you guys and attacking whenever she wants."

Ranma didn't mind Alysse's idea, either, but it was a moot point if they couldn't get she and Ringo out of here safely. "So if my Shift won't work, then somehow we'd have to get the two of them outta here without Kodachi knowin' it's them."

The lab grew quiet for a minute as everyone racked their brains for some sort of plausible solution.

Then, soon enough, Ranma perked up. He had an idea. "Hey, Alysse," he got the taller girl's attention, "...can you stay here today 'til classes are over?"

"I'm not leaving Ringo's side, so if she's staying, then so am I," Alysse told him.

"Ranma have plan?" Shampoo asked, sensing the pigtailed boy had something brewing.

"Yeah, I might have somethin'. Gonna need ya to come with me for a few minutes, though," he notified Shampoo before turning to Ukyou and Alysse. "You guys look after Ringo. We'll be back."

While Ringo moped over the fact that Alysse was getting dragged into her problems now, Ranma and Shampoo headed out into the hallway. Ukyou watched intently as Shampoo stepped out, her eyes never leaving the Chinese girl until the moment the door closed. Even in this situation, she just couldn't shut her personal grudge out.

Now by themselves, Shampoo followed just behind Ranma as they walked down the halls of Furinkan High. She didn't know where they were headed, but quite frankly, that wasn't much of a concern to her. More importantly, Ranma still wasn't acting himself, and that wasn't something Shampoo could just ignore.

"Ranma, you is okay?" Shampoo asked him.

Still walking ahead of her, Ranma's body drooped—a display of poor posture that he rarely put on. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he halfheartedly replied. "All this stuff, it just...it brought back some bad memories. Seein' how messed up Kiriko was...it made me think about what happened with you back in China."

Shampoo remembered well what Ranma spoke of. The scar just below her throat was a constant reminder of it. However, she believed there was more to Ranma's mood than just that. "Is no just Shampoo," she corrected him. "Is Li, too."

For a moment, Ranma stopped. Shampoo expected him to say something, but, after a brief pause, he simply continued walking ahead.

"Ranma!" Shampoo went after him, frustrated by his silence. "You no ever talk about Li, but Shampoo know it bother you! Shampoo always see it!"

Perhaps disappointed in how obvious he'd been, Ranma let out an audible sigh. "There ain't nothin' wrong with tryin' to forget ya killed someone," he said to her, a clear tone of remorse in his voice.

After hearing that, Shampoo had had enough. Speeding up her pace, she walked ahead of Ranma to block his path, then spun around and faced him. Ranma came to a stop again, raising his head to look at her.

"Before meet Ranma," the girl nervously spoke, "...Shampoo kill seven persons—five girl, two man."

Ranma took a step back. He was absolutely floored to hear those words, and his expression couldn't hide that fact. This was something he'd never known about Shampoo. Perhaps more interesting, though, was that she didn't speak of it with regret like he had.

"When Shampoo stay in Japan, start to see things different. But before, kill when necessary is part of Amazon life," Shampoo explained, not wavering in the least. "Li and Meilin come for Ranma and Shampoo life, and someone else maybe come another time. If that happen, we may need kill that one if we want stay alive. If it save Ranma, Shampoo do it in heartbeat."

It was a lot to digest, but Ranma understood what Shampoo was saying. He did. When Shampoo's life was threatened before, he drove his fist through Li's heart. If given an absolute choice between killing an enemy and letting Shampoo die, he would do the former every time. Still, it wasn't in his nature to kill anyone. He hated the idea of it, and that likely wouldn't ever change.

"Heh, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised to hear that about ya. You always were seriously tryin' to kill me when ya thought I was a girl," Ranma managed a brief laugh at the memory, attempting to lighten the mood. He found it tough to look Shampoo in the eye, though.

Shampoo placed her hands against Ranma's cheeks and straightened his head out, forcing him to look at her. "Now that Ranma know, you think bad of Shampoo?" she asked.

Ranma could tell just by looking at Shampoo that she was worried about how he would respond. What she had just told him was probably something she would have been happy to hide from him for the rest of her life, but she'd told him anyway, for his sake. Now, it was Ranma's turn to put her mind at ease.

"Nah, this don't change nothin'. No matter what ya did back then, you're still you," Ranma assured her.

A relieved smile crossed Shampoo's face. "If Ranma kill someone, that no make Shampoo think different of you, either," she said to him. And with that cleared up, Shampoo leaned in and shared a kiss with the pigtailed boy to solidify her feelings. "Ranma understand?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Shampoo. I needed that," Ranma admitted. He really hadn't wanted to talk about the Li incident with her before, but now, he was kind of glad he did. It felt better than keeping it all bottled up inside him.

"So, what Ranma plan for Ringo and Alysse?" Shampoo inquired, getting things back on track.

Ranma, confident in his idea, flashed her a smirk. "C'mon, I'll show ya," he led the way. "I ain't any good with girls' clothes sizes, so I'll be countin' on ya."

* * *

The morning's events proved to be a distraction to students throughout the day's classes, but just like any other day, the hours passed by and everyone was dismissed to head home in the late afternoon. At that time, a stream of uniformed Furinkan students filed out of the building. Not a single one left the school grounds without at least glancing back at the clock tower which Kiriko was hanging from earlier—the clock tower which still bore Ringo's name.

Within that crowd of students, three girls in particular walked near each other. Two of them, both wearing the normal uniform of Furinkan's female students, walked alongside one another. One of them was shorter and had light brown hair hanging down to her shoulders. The other had long, black hair that stretched down as far as her elbows, and she had a white gym bag that she carried with her. The third girl, walking behind and off to the side of the other two, was Ukyou Kuonji.

Once outside the school gate, Ukyou kept on walking straight en route to her restaurant. The other two girls turned right and headed in a separate direction.

"So far, so good. Just keep acting natural so you don't stand out, Ringo," the taller girl said to the other.

Ringo, a brown wig sitting atop her head, tried her best to do just as Alysse suggested.

This was all part of the plan that Ranma had devised. Since there was no way to get Ringo and Alysse to Alysse's home without a guarantee that Kodachi wouldn't spot them at some point along the way, Ranma concluded that the best way to go about this was to have the girls leave the school and head there without Kodachi being able to recognize them. Thus, both were loaned wigs from the drama club, and Alysse borrowed a spare uniform the school had, as well as a white gym bag owned by the P.E. teacher. The white bag was just big enough for Alysse to stuff her own gym bag into, concealing what would have potentially been a giveaway to her identity.

Alysse sat in on Ringo's classes throughout the day with both of them in full disguise to help give the impression that they were normal students, but that was the easy part. The tough part was leaving. It was a risky move since they would be traveling without any escort, but if it worked and could get Ringo into hiding, Alysse was all for it. Shampoo and Alysse had also exchanged phone numbers in case something came up and one needed to contact the other.

"Alysse, I know this is all to keep me safe, but...is it really right for me to hide?" Ringo asked her friend. She was one of those who'd taken a long look back at the defaced clock tower as she was leaving. Despite the circumstances of what happened at the end of the match yesterday, she still couldn't shake the guilty feeling that insisted this was all her fault.

"I can understand why you would think that, but nobody wants what happened to Kiriko to happen to you," Alysse answered her. "So, for us...for _me,_ please, let us keep you safe."

Though simple, Alysse's words opened Ringo's eyes to something she'd lost focus of; they reminded her that she had to take other people's feelings into consideration, too. How would Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, or the Tendo family feel if something happened to her? For that matter, Alysse, who had rushed who knows how far to Furinkan High to check on her as soon as she'd heard about what had happened...how would _she_ feel? Ringo's existence wasn't a normal one, that was for sure, but there were people around her who cared about her. Even though it would pain her to not be able to explain to Kodachi the truth of what had happened in yesterday's match just yet, she would have to bear it for now. She would bear it for the sakes of all those who wanted to protect her.

Relenting, Ringo nodded in response to the girl in the black wig, and the two of them proceeded on their way.

Meanwhile, still inside the school building, Ranma and a girl with long, darker brown hair watched from a top floor window until Ringo and Alysse had disappeared from sight.

"Nice, looks like it all worked out," Ranma stood proudly, having watched his plan unfold without a hitch. "I doubt Kodachi saw the disguises comin', but even if she did, she'd probably think Ringo and Alysse went the same way as Ucchan. They should get to Alysse's place no prob now."

"Is good. Now Shampoo can relax," the uniformed girl next to him pulled off her brown wig, letting down the lavender-colored hair that had been pinned underneath.

Shampoo, too, had donned a Furinkan school uniform and a wig to secretly watch over Ringo throughout the day. She wasn't too high on the idea of going incognito, but the problem was that Kodachi may have been aware that Shampoo didn't attend school. Hence, if Ranma and Shampoo were both spotted in the same classroom, it would have given every indication that Ringo was in there as well.

"No can wait to change. Shampoo no like wear things like uniform," the Chinese girl complained about her attire, tugging at the constraining sleeves that had been bothering her all day.

"Oh, yeah?" Ranma peeked over at her. "That's too bad. I think it looks good on ya."

Initially surprised by the compliment, Shampoo batted her eyes at Ranma. Then, she turned a sly stare on him. This was a chance for some fun. "Aiyaa, Ranma like that kind of thing?" she shifted over, brushing her rear end up against the pigtailed boy's leg.

"H-hey, there's still some people here!" an embarrassed Ranma quickly scanned around to make sure no one had seen that. "And what kinda thing are you talkin' about?"

Shampoo stepped behind Ranma and draped her arms over his shoulders, not at all interested in whether anyone else was watching them. "If that case, maybe Shampoo get own schoolgirl uniform and wear just for Ranma," she playfully suggested, bringing one hand up to tickle Ranma on the underside of his chin.

Now Ranma had a good understanding of what Shampoo was insinuating. "Wait, schoolgirls? Hold on, I am _not_ into that sorta thing!" he argued.

"Whatever Ranma say," Shampoo smirked at him.

"You don't believe me at all, do ya?" Ranma muttered.

Shampoo shook her head, giggling, and Ranma let out a huff in response. Shampoo didn't know how much Ranma appreciated the teasing, but she hoped it at least brightened his mood a little after everything else that had gone on in the last 24 hours.

Secretly, Shampoo also made a serious mental note about the schoolgirl uniform. Despite Ranma's refusal to admit any such interests, getting a uniform for her own private use might prove to be useful for certain..._endeavors_ in their free time.

"We go home now?" Shampoo asked now that she'd had her fun.

"I do _not_ have a thing for schoolgirls," Ranma grumbled, insistent upon getting the last word in that debate. "And no, not yet. There's a guy I gotta talk to first."

With Ranma leading the way, he and Shampoo traversed down to the bottom floor of the main school building and outside. They would continue on over the school grounds until they came upon the entrance to the gymnasium, otherwise known as the principal's office...or his _main_ office, at least.

"Gym? Why we come here?" Shampoo blinked.

"'Cause this is where the Principal oughtta be," Ranma replied.

"Principal?"

"Principal Kuno, Kodachi's dad."

Ranma shoved open the doors to the gym, giving view to the always bizarre scene within. Grass, tropical plants, palm trees, and the partly cloudy sky painted on the walls and ceiling provided a Hawaiian sort of atmosphere that made Furinkan's headmaster feel more at home.

Shampoo wasn't especially familiar with Principal Kuno, but from what little Ranma had mentioned of him, the fact that Furinkan's gymnasium looked like some kind of tropical island didn't come as a great shock. Without questioning the decor, she followed Ranma inside. "Why Ranma want talk to Principal? Is because what Sasuke say is worry you?" Shampoo asked, curious about Ranma's motives.

"What, about Kodachi bein' dangerous, you mean? Yeah, right," Ranma shot down the idea. "Kiriko's just a gymnast, and she was hurt from the match yesterday, too. If Kodachi was waitin' to ambush her somewhere, she'd be easy pickins. You and me are different, though. Even if she wants to do that to one of us, she ain't gonna be able to. That's why I ain't worried."

"Then why want talk to Principal?"

"Because it don't hurt to get a little more information. Heck, he might even know where Kodachi is."

The pair moved on into the deepest part of the gym, where they soon spotted the wooden loft the principal used.

Once they reached it, Ranma stepped up to the base of the loft's ladder. "Yo! Anyone home?" he called out. When no one answered, he looked to Shampoo briefly. "Wait here a sec."

One rung at a time, Ranma ascended the ladder leading up to the loft until he had a good view of the inside, which interestingly contained only the principal's desk. It was a discovery that Ranma found unusual. Sure, there wasn't a ton of stuff there the last time he'd checked, but there was definitely more than just a desk. And where was the principal, anyway? "That's weird," Ranma noted. "Is he g-"

*_WHAM!_*

Out of nowhere, a large poster weighted by a heavy bar at the bottom had unraveled down from the loft's ceiling, and the bar fell directly onto Ranma's head. Dazed by the hit, Ranma fell back and slid all the way down the ladder, smacking the back of his head against every rung before finally falling next to Shampoo's feet.

"Ranma, you is okay?" Shampoo knelt down next to him. The only response she got from him was a pained grunt.

"_Aloha, everybody!_" a speaker suddenly blared from atop the loft.

As Shampoo, and now the recovering Ranma looked up at the poster, they found that it displayed a life-sized image of Principal Kuno himself.

"That nutcase!" Ranma growled, rubbing his head. "What's this supposed to be?"

"_Me know all you keiki be wantin' da headmasta to give you da big fun, but sometin' come up very sudden! So, me be goin' on da surprise vacation, yeah!_" the message went on. "_And 'dis got nuttin' to do with my lil' Kocchi! Nuttin' at all! You be smart and run away if you be seein' her, 'dough! Aloha!_"

Based on his message, Principal Kuno had fled, and, thanks to his latter words, there was little doubt between Ranma and Shampoo as to why.

"He run away because scared of Kuno girl," Shampoo voiced the obvious truth.

Miffed by the principal's actions, Ranma jumped up the ladder and tore down the poster, ripping it into pieces until he was satisfied. "That guy...he's overreactin' just like Sasuke," Ranma's eye twitched in annoyance. "Seriously, it's _just_ Kodachi!"

* * *

As the day wore on, Ringo and Alysse finally neared the end of a long trek from Furinkan High. So far, there had been no trouble for them whatsoever, nor any sign of potential danger. They weren't in the clear quite yet, but it looked as though their disguises had served their purpose.

"That one, up ahead," Alysse pointed to a home with its exterior painted white. "That's my place."

Ringo shook her head to try to keep herself awake, then tried to pick out with her eyes the house Alysse was pointing to. The girl's lack of sleep had caught up to her during classes earlier, and now her body was just dying for some rest. Her frayed nerves over the possibility of Kodachi attacking all day weren't helping one bit, either.

"Oh, that one," Ringo dragged herself along, just hoping she would be able to make it there. Her eyelids had never felt so heavy. "Hey, Alysse, are you sure this is okay? Won't I be imposing on your family?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Alysse told her. "I'm the only one living there right now."

Ringo was reminded that Alysse had mentioned something similar before about usually being the only one at her home. Did she have no siblings? And where were her parents? Ringo didn't want to be so forward as to ask such a thing out of the blue, but it did seem odd to her.

The two girls walked the rest of the way to the house quietly. It was a very normal-looking home by modern Japanese standards. The area of the property was smaller than that of the Tendo estate that Ringo was accustomed to, but the space was probably more than enough for Alysse if she was living there on her own at the moment.

They entered through the short, metal gate outside the house, and Alysse unlocked the door and led Ringo inside. The blonde girl took one last look around for anything suspicious. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she then closed the door behind them.

Much like the outside of the home, the inside seemed fairly normal as Ringo peeked around. Straight ahead was a staircase that led to the upper floor. Up ahead and to the right of the entryway led to the kitchen, while to the left looked to be a living room, where a large-screened television sat in front of a sofa.

"Welcome to my home," Alysse smiled over at her friend.

"Oh, thank you for...having me over," Ringo replied with a yawn, groggily slipping off her shoes.

Alysse set her gym bag down on the floor, then gave her arms a much-needed stretch above her head. "Well, I guess we should find you something to wear," she suggested, knowing Ringo most likely didn't have a change of clothes with her. "What would you-"

Feeling a weight against her right arm, Alysse abruptly stopped speaking and turned her head. The weight, she noticed, was Ringo's upper body. Ringo's eyes were closed, and her shoulder and head were leaning up against the taller girl for support. Overcome by her exhaustion, Ringo had fallen asleep.

"I guess clothes can wait," Alysse said softly with a bit of a chuckle. Removing the wigs from both she and Ringo's heads, Alysse hoisted the girl up into her arms and began carrying her up the stairs. The curtains were already closed on all of the windows in the house, so there was no need for disguises any longer.

Alysse brought Ringo to the top floor, then started to head for the first room on the left—_her_ room. That course of action wouldn't last long, however, as Alysse quickly stopped herself. Bringing Ringo in there, she thought, would be a mistake. Looking around for a better option, Alysse took Ringo instead to the first room on the right—a room that had been unoccupied for years now.

Inside the room, there wasn't much. A bed, a desk, a dresser; that was it. All Ringo needed was a place to sleep for now, though, so it would do just fine. After pulling back the bedsheets, Alysse gently set Ringo's head onto the pillow and laid the rest of her body down, then pulled the blankets over her. She didn't want Ringo to have to sleep in her school uniform, but she didn't have the heart to wake her up and make her change. She was going to let the girl sleep for as long as she needed.

With Ringo now perfectly situated, Alysse knelt down at the side of the bed in her borrowed uniform. "You know, I feel kind of bad. Even with what you were going through, today was actually fun for me," the blonde girl admitted in a whisper, brushing the hair away from Ringo's face. "I wish...I'd been able to go to school with you every day, right from the beginning. Then we could study together, eat lunch together, go on school trips together...we could do it all."

Alysse allowed her fingers to slide down Ringo's cheek and brush over the girl's lips. Then, with a loud gulp, Alysse started to lean forward. Her face was turning red, and her heart was beating so loudly that she swore she could hear it. She cupped Ringo's cheek with one hand, bringing her own face closer to that of the slumbering girl.

Alysse's hair fell across Ringo's shoulder, and their lips moved to within a few inches of each other. But, as Alysse stared down at her friend's face, she had a sudden change of heart. She quickly pulled back, trying her best to gather herself and calm down.

No matter how much she wanted to, Alysse couldn't do it. Not this way. Not like this.

Alysse took a deep breath, then placed her hands atop the blanket where Ringo's left palm lay. "I will not let Kodachi hurt you," she swore to the girl. "I promise, no matter what, I will protect you."

* * *

That night, after darkness had fallen over the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Kasumi headed up the stairs of a very quiet Tendo home carrying some of Ringo's laundry with her. Kasumi had been informed of the day's events involving Ringo via a quick phone call from Shampoo earlier. Needless to say, she was incredibly concerned for the kindhearted girl, and she could only hope that Ringo would be safe.

Once Kasumi reached the top floor, she walked toward Ringo's room—formerly Nabiki's room—and entered. It was dark, and silent. Seeing the room that way brought a hint of sadness to Kasumi's heart. She was used to seeing Ringo studying before bed if she ever came by at this time of night.

With Ringo gone, Nabiki back at her apartment, and Akane off who knows where, only Kasumi and her father would occupy the house tonight, and that left it feeling eerily empty. Ringo's wasn't always the biggest presence, but it was a cheerful one. Always willing to help with this and that, always wanting to brighten another's day. And when that presence was suddenly gone, Kasumi noticed. She noticed, and she missed it.

Sighing worriedly to herself, Kasumi turned on the light. "Poor Ringo."

No sooner had she softly uttered those words that the light in the room suddenly went off again, leaving everything pitch black. Surprised by the abrupt outage, Kasumi tried to turn the light back on. After a few tries, however, the light still wouldn't return. "How odd," she tilted her head, wondering what could have happened.

As Kasumi turned around, she noticed there was more to it. The rest of the hallway was darkened, too, as appeared to be the lower floor since there wasn't any light coming up from near the stairs. She could recall such a thing happening once or twice during particularly nasty weather, but for it to happen out of the blue like this was new to her.

Kasumi figured it would be best to seek out her father and come up with a solution for all this. But, before she could do that, something caught her attention. Kasumi turned back toward the inside of Ringo's room, where outside the window was a bright, violet-colored glow. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look, but she had no idea what on earth it might be. Unfortunately, she was about to find out.

With a resounding blast, the glass from the window and debris from the wall exploded into the room. So frightened was Kasumi that she dropped Ringo's freshly-washed clothes and let out a high-pitched scream—one that would be quickly cut off. Amidst the falling pieces of the wall, a human figure bounded into the room and wrapped their hand around Kasumi's throat. Their momentum carried Kasumi and themselves straight back into the wall, and then right through it.

Coming out of the other side, Kasumi was forced out into the hallway and into the wall sitting opposite from Ringo's room. Her eyes were closed, her back was racked with pain, and the intruder's grip on her throat was strong, limiting her air intake. She opened one eye as far as she could, and, despite the power in the house being out, the light of the moon and the streetlights outside provided her with just enough vision to make out the face of her assailant.

"K-...Ko...dachi..." Kasumi choked out the girl's identity.

"Good evening, Kasumi Tendo," Kodachi Kuno greeted her with a deceiving politeness. With a crazed look in her eyes, she offered the eldest Tendo daughter a question of only three simple words. "Where is she?"

Kasumi's entire body shook with a mix of fear and pain. She knew, of course, that Kodachi was referring to Ringo. "Koda...chi...she..."

"Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?" Kodachi impatiently screamed into Kasumi's face. "Where, where, where?"

"Rin...go..." Kasumi managed to speak the redhead's name, "...she...wouldn't...hurt you! She wouldn't-"

"That is _not_ what I asked!" Kodachi angrily tightened her vice on the other girl's throat, forcing a yelp out of her. "Where, Kasumi Tendo? Where is she? Where, oh where is my precious little second?"

So weakened was Kasumi that she couldn't even lift an arm to try to pry Kodachi's hand away. She was helpless. Even after hearing of what had happened this morning, she questioned whether Kodachi was really capable of such an act. Now that she faced the scorned gymnast, though, she questioned nothing. Never in her life had she seen anyone displaying the rage she saw in Kodachi's eyes.

Kasumi knew now why Ranma and the others were so thorough in their measures to protect Ringo. A girl with no will to fight may well be ripped to shreds by Kodachi as she was now. That was exactly why Kasumi needed to do what she could to protect Ringo, as well. She was no fighter, but there was still something she could do, no matter how pointless it may end up being.

"No...you're...wrong!" Kasumi spoke as audibly as she could, her face showing the strain that came with her struggle to breathe. The more Kasumi refused to answer Kodachi's question, the tighter the grip of the Black Rose grew. "Ringo...wouldn't. You...are...her...fr-...friend..."

After using all of her energy to spit out those words, Kasumi went limp against the wall. She had passed out. Kodachi, seeing that she wouldn't be getting anything else out of the older girl, released her, allowing her body to slump to the floor.

"Friend?" Kodachi hissed as she stared down at the fallen Kasumi. Just hearing that word made her feel sick inside. "I have no friend!"

Then, thinking she'd heard something, Kodachi stopped and listened to her surroundings for a moment. Sure enough, she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming from downstairs.

"Kasumi!" the voice of Soun Tendo rang throughout the home. "Kasumi, what was that noise? Why is our power out?"

Once he spotted the light shining in on the upper floor, Soun rushed up the stairs in search of answers. What he saw when he got to the top of them provided every answer he needed. The upper part of his daughter's body jutted out from behind a wall, and standing over her, shrouded in the glow of the streetlights pouring in from the damaged walls, was Kodachi Kuno.

The loving father's face lit up with absolute fury. Knowing that someone had brought harm to his sweet, innocent Kasumi, Soun Tendo snapped. "What are you doing to my daughter?!" he howled, lunging toward Kodachi with no intent of holding back.

Kodachi, who had been holding a ribbon in her left hand since busting through the wall, took the tool into her right hand—her good hand. The Tendo family patriarch bore down on her quickly, but Kodachi didn't budge. Soun came within mere inches of his striking range. Then, a thin, violet light slashed through the air in the blink of an eye.

Soun's momentum slowed, and he reached forward and grabbed Kodachi by her left shoulder. He tried to clamp down on his daughter's attacker, but his strength just wasn't there. That frightening expression he once showed had been replaced by one of utter shock.

A frigid smile crossing her lips, Kodachi reached up and grabbed hold of Soun's hand. Effortlessly, she pried it away from her, then threw it back his way. Soun staggered back three steps, then a fourth. He looked down at his gi, parts of which now hung awkwardly. Beneath the damaged clothing, a fresh, clean cut across his torso was oozing blood at a rapid rate. What wasn't being soaked into the fabric of the gi instead dripped down onto the floor.

"Such a foolish man," Kodachi belittled the enraged father. Holding her right arm out to the side, she then began twirling her ribbon. "Fools should pay for their mistakes."

Within the funnel of Kodachi's rotating ribbon, a ball of violet-colored energy began to grow. As that ball grew larger, Soun came to realize his mistake. He had vastly underestimated his opponent, and it had cost him dearly. With a look of pure pleasure on her face, Kodachi flung her ribbon forward, effectively firing the sphere of energy outward. The ball struck Soun directly in his already wounded chest and exploded, sending out a thunderous shock wave that shook the entire Tendo home.

Deep cracks spread throughout the walls and ceiling, and a hole was opened up in the floor of the home's top story, dumping debris down onto the ground floor below. The door to the guest room once occupied by Ranma and Genma was blown clear off its tracks. Soun himself was sent flying straight back until he crashed into the wall by the top of the stairs, his body embedded into it by the sheer force of the blast.

His face blank, Soun collapsed forward out of the wall and fell face-first down to the floor. He had been soundly defeated, and beneath him, a puddle of blood slowly began to accumulate.

At the other end of the hallway, callous, uncaring snickers came from the direction of Kodachi. She swung her ribbon back and forth, slashing it through any part of the wall or floor it touched. "Riiiingoooo. Riiiiiiiingoooooooo," she sang the red-haired girl's name as she strolled forward. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Kodachi continued on and came to the stairs, and then, her expression changed. Her playfulness disappeared and was replaced entirely by hatred. "Ringo!" she shouted, slashing into the wooden railing around the top of the stairs with her ribbon. A large chunk of the wood was cut away and tumbled down the steps, and Kodachi kept on slicing into the railing. "Ringo! Ringo! RINGO!"

By the time Kodachi was done, there was nothing left of the railing. It was literally in pieces at the bottom of the stairs. Panting loudly as she regained control, a twisted smile came over the face of the Black Rose once more. "Ahahahaha...ahahahahahaha!" she laughed to herself. "I see, you ran and hid from me! How very wise of you, Ringo. Very well. Let us play a game of hide-and-seek!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Kodachi took in the destruction she had just caused, eventually bringing her gaze to the badly injured Soun Tendo. "I wonder, though..." she looked over her shoulder, back at Kasumi's body now, "...how long will you be able to hide when those close to you are suffering in your place? That, I look forward to finding out! Ahahahahahahahahaaaaaa!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 21**


	47. QoE: Boiling Point

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Breathing in, breathing out. Slowly inhaling, then exhaling. Keeping the mind clear of thoughts.

With the sun starting to set and dusk approaching, this was all Shampoo was doing as she faced the worn-down straw dummy with her eyes closed out behind her restaurant. Never did a day pass where she didn't dedicate a fair share of time to working on her very much incomplete Speed of Light Fist. She wasn't so optimistic as to believe that she was close to mastering it, but she did feel confident that she was making progress, and that was the important thing.

Shampoo had some extra time to put into her training tonight since Ranma had taken off as soon as the Cat Café's dinner hours were over. Shortly after Ranma had returned from the day's classes at Furinkan High, his father, Genma, had shown up at the restaurant and informed him of certain events that had taken place at the Tendo estate last night that were both surprising and upsetting. Ranma hung around to help Shampoo through the busy business hours, then set off in search of answers afterward.

There was definitely nothing discreet about Kodachi's actions. She was bold, and she was intent on exacting revenge upon Ringo. Last night was proof that she would go after those close to Ringo in order to find the girl, and if and when Kodachi chose to attack the Cat Café, Shampoo was going to be ready.

When Shampoo heard something atop the nearby wall all of a sudden, her first thought was that Kodachi had picked now as her aforementioned time of attack. Shampoo whirled around toward the setting sun, prepared to defend herself. As she took in the sight of a figure up above, though, the shape of a handle to some object on the person's back led her to ease up. It wasn't Kodachi, she realized. Unfortunately, it was someone she was even less eager to see.

"So there you are. I was starting to think no one was here," Ukyou Kuonji spoke, not sounding too happy to see Shampoo, either. She hopped down from the wall and took a few steps closer. "Does Ran-chan know what happened to Kasumi and Mr. Tendo?"

"Ranma hear from father. He go to hospital after restaurant close," Shampoo told her. She turned around to face the dummy again, closing her eyes just as she had before.

Ukyou wasn't sure how she should feel about the girl being so willing to lower her guard around her, but her initial reaction was that she didn't like it. "I guess there was more to Kodachi than we thought."

"Is more crazy than think," Shampoo partially agreed, still facing away from her visitor.

Though she hadn't come here for a confrontation, Ukyou was finding it hard to resist. After all, who knew when she would get a chance like this again? "Maybe it's good that Ranma's gone," she suggested. "Now we can chat."

Shampoo could only sigh as she looked up toward the darkening sky. She knew this was coming; she'd felt the tension in the air from the moment Ukyou had arrived.

"That last challenge I sent you...why did Kuno show up to answer it?" Ukyou asked, getting straight to the point.

"Kuno?" Shampoo glanced back at her. "No know about that."

"You're lying!" Ukyou snapped at her old rival, not buying her innocent response.

"Is truth," Shampoo calmly stood by her claim. "Shampoo throw okonomiyaki far away as soon as read it."

Somehow, that reply put off Ukyou even more than the idea of Shampoo lying to her. "You...threw it away?" she clenched her right fist, glaring angrily at the other girl. "Why? Why won't you accept my challenge? Just tell me!"

"Shampoo no have to," the lavender-haired girl refused. This conversation had gone exactly where she'd figured it would, and she didn't see any point in it. Done with Ukyou for the time being, she stepped over to the restaurant's back door. "You give up now. Shampoo never fight you."

Shampoo twisted the doorknob and opened up the door to head inside. Then, all in an instant, everything went black. Shampoo's head was slammed forward into the edge of the door's frame, and she dropped to the floor just inside the restaurant's back entrance, unmoving.

There, looking down upon her victim, Ukyou stood with both hands gripping the handle of her spatula in front of her. Her mouth agape, she let the over-sized utensil fall to the ground. She raised her hands up, then let them fall to her side again. Her body language reeked of someone struggling to cope with what they'd just done. "Damn! I...I didn't mean...I didn't want to..."

Out of frustration, Ukyou twice kicked the exterior of the restaurant. "Damn! _Damn!_" She picked up her spatula again, and, eying the practice dummy, lopped off its straw head with a single, forceful swing. "DAMN!"

The dummy's head hit the ground and settled into place, and Ukyou began to calm down after her outburst. She fell back against the wall and silently stared at Shampoo for nearly two full minutes. She had done this. She'd laid Shampoo out. It had happened. There was no taking it back now, and that was something that Ukyou was slowly starting to accept.

Having set herself on a dangerous path, whether intentional or not, Ukyou hopped up to the top of the wall and looked back at her fallen adversary one last time. "You guys can deal with Kodachi yourselves," she declared. And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Nerima Ward, one Ranma Saotome was strolling down a quiet road, hands in his pockets and mind still trying to grasp the reality of what was happening around him. Not long ago, he'd left the hospital where Soun and Kasumi Tendo were being treated. Genma, Nabiki and Dr. Tofu were all present, as well. According to nurses, Kasumi was likely to be released before the night was done. The same couldn't be said of her father.

After his hospital visit, Ranma was ready to dismiss any assumptions he previously held about the one deemed the "Black Rose." This wasn't _just_ Kodachi. This was something different. What that was, Ranma wasn't sure. He knew where he might be able to find out, though, and that place was now coming into view. That place...was the Kuno household.

As Ranma came upon the perimeter of the estate, he sprung up onto and then over the wall next to the gate. Casual as could be, he proceeded toward the Kuno home and onto the walkway outside it, where Tatewaki Kuno already sat. Typically, Ranma's actions would warrant an objection from the elder Kuno sibling, or at least some snide remark about entering the premises uninvited. On this occasion, however, there would be nothing of the sort.

"An ominous wind blows on this day, does it not, Ranma Saotome?" the cross-legged Kuno addressed his visitor.

Ranma plopped himself down not far from where his old nemesis sat, his eyes staring off into the distance. "Y'know, I get how Kodachi could do what she did to Kiriko and Kasumi. I do. But Mr. Tendo...he ain't no joke. He's a strong martial artist who was in perfect health, and Kodachi...she almost _killed_ him," he said, still sounding as if he didn't quite believe it. "I don't get it. What am I missin' here, Kuno?"

While Tatewaki wasn't thrilled with the idea of sharing sensitive family information with his greatest rival, he recognized that there were more important things at stake here than a little pride. His sister needed to be stopped and brought back to her senses before she caused harm to anyone else, and to that end, Tatewaki would do what he must. "A number of years ago," he began, "...our mother left us out of the blue and never returned. My sister...she took it quite badly, and, perhaps as a way to cope with our mother's departure, she changed."

"How so?" Ranma asked him.

"She became violent," Kuno answered, shuddering at the memory. "She would indiscriminately attack myself and our father, and later she would even do so to those she had never met. Our father soon fled because he feared living with Kodachi so."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec," Ranma stopped him. "_That_ was the reason your old man disappeared back then?"

"Indeed," Kuno confirmed.

Suddenly, the fleeing of Furinkan's Principal Kuno yesterday made much more sense to Ranma. Kodachi's father already knew what he was dealing with, so he got out again before it was too late.

"Fortunately, my sister would be stopped after some time," Tatewaki went on. "You see, she recklessly attempted to bring harm to a certain woman, and she was defeated quite handily. I believe that woman went by the name of...oh, what was it? Katrina...Winters, if I recall. Quite the skilled warrior she was, if not somewhat unrefined. In any case, she took an interest in my sister, and she even instructed her in rhythmic gymnastics. From then onward, Kodachi returned to being...relatively normal, I suppose."

"Until this weekend," Ranma added, glancing over at him.

Tatewaki Kuno replied with a nod. "After she was betrayed by your acquaintance, my sister fell back into that volatile state of long ago. No...it was not that. What she has become now is far worse than before," he corrected himself. "This time, I am afraid she seems able to conjure up black magic."

Unimpressed with Kuno's choice of words, Ranma shot him a dry look. "Black magic? Come on, man, really?"

"I do not jest, Ranma Saotome!" Kuno snapped back in defense of his analysis. "I saw it with my own eyes! My sister...she conjured some peculiar, purple light within her ribbon. It was not of this world, I tell you!"

"_Purple light?_" Ranma immediately thought to himself. "_That ain't black magic. Sounds more like...did Kodachi learn how to use chi energy?_"

Among those of his generation, Ryouga was the only other one besides himself that Ranma knew could manipulate their own chi energy and use it in their offense. For Kodachi to be able to do the same would have sounded ludicrous to him before yesterday. Then again, the idea that Kodachi could defeat Soun Tendo would have as well. It was possible. It definitely couldn't be ruled out.

"Allow me to impart this wisdom upon you, Saotome," Kuno spoke up again. "My dear sister is not presently the same one with whom you are familiar. If you intend to stop her, I would advise you not to take her lightly. If you do, then you, too, may well fall before her."

Ranma could acknowledge that Kodachi was more dangerous than he'd first thought, but insinuating that even he might lose to her? "Yeah, right. Like that'd happen," he scoffed at the notion.

For the time being, Ranma had learned all he was going to. It was time to head back home.

* * *

By now, darkness had mostly taken over the skies, and the streetlights were firing up to provide light to those still wandering the roads.

Over at the entrance to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, the lights also helped to illuminate a notice that had been posted outside the door. That notice read as follows: "_Ucchan's Okonomiyaki will be closed indefinitely due to the owner being away. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we look forward to seeing you again upon the restaurant's reopening. Thank you!_"

There was a sharp, slapping noise as a girl's palm smacked up against the piece of paper, her nails ripping through it as she partially closed her hand. That girl, with a light, vertical cut on her forehead where the door frame had broken through her skin, was an extremely livid Shampoo.

"Ukyou want Shampoo attention?" the fired up Chinese Amazon glared furiously at the written notice. "Now Ukyou have!"

* * *

*_yaaaaawn..._*

Far from the chaos that had been erupting in other places over the last couple of days, Ringo's friend, Alysse, was parked on her living room sofa and watching television after waking up from a short nap. When she first awakened this morning, Alysse couldn't wait to get out of bed and spend the day with Ringo in the comfort of her own home. Things hadn't gone quite as planned, however, as Ringo was still asleep when Alysse got up, and she then remained in bed the entire day.

If she wasn't so sure that Ringo could use the extra rest, Alysse would have gone in there and woke the girl up herself. As it was, though, what she had hoped would be a fun day had wound up being an insanely boring one. Such was life, she figured.

"Alysse?" Ringo entered the room all of a sudden, rubbing her still sleepy eyes.

"Ringo!" the blonde girl perked up in a hurry. "Finally up, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry for sleeping so long," Ringo apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Alysse brushed her concerns aside. She gave the sofa cushion next to her a couple of pats, beckoning the other girl to join her. "Come have a seat."

Though it felt to Alysse as if Ringo had been sleeping for more than a full day, her guest had actually woken up not long after Alysse had gone to sleep the night before. Ringo found a stack of clothes waiting for her once she was up, and took the opportunity to change out of her school uniform. When she wandered downstairs for a glass of water, she even found a plate of dinner that Alysse had prepared for her wrapped up on the kitchen table. After that, Ringo sat around lost in thought for a long while. Mostly, she thought about Kodachi. How much she wanted to talk to her. How much she wanted to tell her what had really happened. How much she just wanted things to be back to normal between them. Eventually, she grew tired again, and since Alysse was already asleep, Ringo went back to bed herself.

"Thank you for the food and the clothes," Ringo said as she sat down next to her friend. There was nothing extravagant about the borrowed attire, a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black workout pants with silver stripes down the sides, but they were much more comfortable to sleep in than her school uniform. "I had to roll the pant legs up a little because they were so long."

"I thought you might. I have long legs because I'm so tall," Alysse laughed a little. "We can try to find you something else to wear if you want."

"Oh, no, these are fine," Ringo assured her. Curious as to what Alysse was watching, she took a peek at the television. "Cartoons?"

"You're never too old for them," Alysse insisted. "These are cartoons I used to watch back when I was little, before I had to move here because of my dad's work. They kind of bring back good memories for me."

Ringo was still interested in the whereabouts of Alysse's family. She didn't want to bring up the subject out of nowhere, but since Alysse had mentioned her father, Ringo figured now might not be a bad time to ask about it. "Umm...I'm sorry if I'm being too forward, but where are your parents at?"

"Oh, don't worry. It's no big deal," Alysse downplayed the topic, not seeming put off at all by it. "They're in Singapore for the next few months, again because of Dad's job. Until then, I get the house to myself."

While she was glad she hadn't ruffled any feathers by asking about it, Ringo couldn't help wondering how living by herself made Alysse feel. "Don't you get lonely without them around?" she asked.

Alysse offered a shrug in response. "I'm used to it. I get to talk to them over the phone every day or two, so it's not that bad," she said, flashing a smile over at the other girl. "And getting to know you helped a lot, too."

"Really? I'm glad, then," Ringo returned the gesture.

For the next couple of minutes, the two girls sat back and watched the cartoon's story unfold. Ringo kept quiet as she tried to understand what was going on, while Alysse would snicker every now and then when she found something amusing.

"So...one skunk likes the other and keeps chasing her, but she doesn't like him?" Ringo asked, wondering if she was seeing things right.

"No, no, the girl is just a cat that always finds some weird way to get a white stripe painted over her back. And the skunk, who's really..._passionate_, sees her and thinks she's a skunk, too. The cat can't stand the skunk's smell though, so she runs away," Alysse thoroughly explained the setup.

As the show went on, the cat would run, and the skunk would hop along at his own pace, yet still somehow beat the cat to her next hiding place. After this happened a second time, Ringo began to giggle. "This is funny! How does he keep getting there before her?"

"Hmm...I bet he would say," Alysse deepened her voice to sound more like that of the skunk, "...it is ze powére of love!"

"Ahahahahaha!" Ringo got a laugh out of the imitation. "Oh gosh, you're good at that!"

Spurned on by the favorable reaction, Alysse turned her body toward Ringo and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Ma chérie!" she continued to speak in that deep voice, kissing the air several times to further mimic the skunk. "We could make ze beautiful music togezére!"

Alysse kissed the air a few more times, and that was when she noticed just how close she'd gotten to Ringo. Not only that, but Ringo was staring back at her, batting her eyelids as if taken aback by the blonde girl's actions.

Coming to realize what she'd just done, Alysse let go of Ringo's shoulders and backed away in a flash. "_Oh, crap! Crap, crap, crap!_" she thought to herself, starting to panic. "_Even for a joke, that was WAY too much! I totally just weirded her out! That was so stupid! STUPID!_"

"Pfft-!"

Now it was Alysse's turn to be surprised as Ringo burst out in a fit of laughter. "Wow!" Ringo held her sides as she broke down laughing. "That was...that was perfect! Ahahahahahaha!"

"W-was it?" Alysse nervously asked, inwardly breathing an enormous sigh of relief. "_Thank god! I didn't weird her out, after all!_"

Alysse had gotten a little too relaxed in her own home and allowed herself to do something she wouldn't have normally done, even if it was just a joke. Thankfully, Ringo didn't seem to mind the performance. It led Alysse to wonder, though...had she spoken sweet words not in jest, and had she kissed her for real...how would Ringo have reacted then?

"Jeez, that was too funny," Ringo wiped a tear from her eye once she'd finally gotten all the laughs out of her system. "I've never seen you do anything like that before, Alysse."

"I-...it was for your eyes only, so don't go telling anyone about it," Alysse demanded, feeling embarrassed by the whole thing. "Anyway, aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten in a while, right?"

Now that it was brought to her attention, Ringo realized that Alysse was right. "Yeah, I guess I am a little hungry," she said, placing a hand against her empty stomach.

"That's what I thought. Well, why don't we go whip up some dinner then?" Alysse suggested. "I'm not that great of a cook, so you'll have to help me out."

"Yeah, sure!" Ringo happily agreed.

The two of them stood up from the couch and stretched out their muscles, then headed for the kitchen to get to work.

"Hey, Alysse," Ringo spoke as they walked, her voice sounding more downbeat now, "...do you think everyone is alright? From Kodachi, I mean?"

Alysse had been hoping she could help Ringo forget about all of that during her stay here, but she knew the odds were against her on that front. "Shampoo hasn't called here, so I'm guessing everything is fine," she replied. Of course, that also could have meant that Shampoo had come under attack and wasn't able to call, but Alysse preferred not to cause Ringo any unneeded worry.

"Oh. Okay," Ringo said, hanging her head as she moved. "I hope you're right."

The only phone call Alysse wanted right now was one telling her that Kodachi had been caught. Then at least Ringo could relax and go about her life as usual again. If it took a few extra days, though, that would be just fine by Alysse. Having Ringo here, all to herself was nothing short of pure bliss.

* * *

While Ringo and Alysse settled in for the night, Ranma was making his way back to the Cat Café amidst the sound of chirping crickets. His visits to the hospital and the Kuno estate had been informative, but ultimately, Ranma still wasn't quite sure what he was dealing with in Kodachi. That, he figured, might just be something he would have to see in person to understand.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as Ranma approached the restaurant, which quelled any concerns he had that Kodachi might have attacked while he was away. Once he reached the entrance, he slid open the door and stepped inside. "Yo, I'm...back..." his voice trailed off.

The outside of the building may have appeared ordinary, but the inside was anything but. The restaurant's dining area had been turned upside down. Tables, chairs, chopsticks and other debris were strewn all about the floor. And, in the middle of everything, Shampoo sat on the lone standing chair, her body draped over the lone standing table.

Shampoo, holding an ice pack over the back of her head, now sat up to look at Ranma. There was a bandage over the cut she'd received earlier on her forehead, and her skin was glistening with a recent sweat she'd worked up. Without Ukyou to direct her anger toward, Shampoo had obliterated the wall out behind the building, turning it into nothing more than a long row of rubble. She was more forgiving to the furniture in the dining area, but if she hadn't needed it to run her business, things would have been different. Shampoo could put up with the verbal taunts, but by physically attacking her, and from behind no less, Ukyou had pushed her past the limit of what she could tolerate.

"Kasumi and father is okay?" Shampoo asked the returning pigtailed boy.

"Yeah...they'll be fine once they heal up," Ranma replied, and that was all he would say on that topic as he closed the door behind him. The only thing he cared about for the moment was what he was looking at. "Forget about that, what happened here? What happened to _you_?"

Shampoo didn't want to talk about what had taken place with Ukyou, but there was no way Ranma wouldn't ask about it; not with the mess she'd left the restaurant in. "Shampoo slip and fall, hit head on accident," she claimed.

As Ranma walked toward her, he could see through Shampoo's lie without even giving it any thought. He'd been around her enough at this point to know the difference between when something just mildly annoyed her and when she was really, truly angry about something. The scorching look he saw in her eyes right now revealed the truth: she was _pissed_. No little slip and fall would make her this upset.

"You ain't that clumsy, and you know it," Ranma said, stepping up next to her table. "What happened?"

"Shampoo tell you, is just fall," the Amazon girl stuck by her story.

Deciding she was done talking about this, Shampoo stood up and tried to walk away, but Ranma grabbed her by the forearm to stop her. "Who did this to you?" Ranma asked, deadly serious in wanting to know. "Was it Kodachi?"

"It no was Kuno girl," Shampoo glared back at him. She tried to pull free of Ranma's grip, but couldn't do so. "Ranma let go now!"

Ranma couldn't believe how combative Shampoo was getting over this. Whatever she was trying to hide from him, she seemed determined to keep it hidden. "Why won't you just tell me who did this to you?" he continued with his interrogation.

Her blood starting to boil just as it had after Ukyou's attack earlier, Shampoo got right up into Ranma's face. "Because Ranma no need to know!" her voice blared in his ears.

Perhaps infected by the girl's vigor, Ranma showed some of his own as he forced Shampoo back onto the table and leaned over her, still gripping her arm. "When someone hurts my girlfriend, that's somethin' I need to know about! Just tell me already!" he demanded.

Shampoo, who had dropped her ice pack to the floor, tried to fight her way back up. "No! Ranma let go!"

"C'mon, Shampoo! Who hurt you? Tell me!"

"Shampoo no tell!"

What happened next, Ranma had no idea. Maybe it was just he, as a martial artist, recognizing the fighting spirit of another warrior, but something switched on inside of him as he hovered over Shampoo on that table. That fiery look in her eyes. The sweat covering her skin. Her hair all spread out beneath her. Those toned arms that wanted to smash someone's face in, although she wouldn't tell him whose.

Shampoo was...gorgeous.

His mind going blank, Ranma bent down and pressed his lips over those of his girlfriend. The expression that came over Shampoo's face in that moment gave away her clear surprise at the unexpected action. She stopped fighting him and instead just stared up at Ranma's closed eyes. This forcefulness, this initiative...it reminded Shampoo of that fateful night where Ranma had kissed her after their date on the island of Odaiba.

After a few seconds, that point of realization seemed to come to Ranma as he suddenly became aware of what he was doing. His eyes shot open, and he quickly broke the kiss and pulled himself away from Shampoo.

The couple shared a silent look that felt to Ranma as though it lasted an eternity. Ranma wondered what he'd been thinking when he did that, and Shampoo wondered the same about him. A kiss like that was a normal thing for two young people in a relationship to experience, but Ranma was never the aggressor as he was just now when such situations arose. It was...different, for both of them.

Then, just as Ranma had opened his mouth to say something, Shampoo reached out with her free hand, grabbed him by his shirt, and yanked him down into a passionate kiss of her own. From there, the two of them let go of any inhibitions and hesitation, and they completely surrendered themselves to the emotion flowing between them.

Their tongues entwined, and their hands roamed across each other's bodies. Shampoo wrapped her legs around Ranma, and, wanting to take control, she used her strength to flip Ranma over so that she was the one on top. Ranma wouldn't allow that for long, though, as he pushed himself up off the table and back to his feet, gripping Shampoo's bottom with both hands to keep her elevated against him. The shift in weight would carry both of them back into the restaurant wall, against which Ranma pressed Shampoo as they carried on without a care in the world.

Shampoo held onto Ranma tightly, so much so that her nails left scratches across the back of his neck. Ranma was so lost in the moment that he didn't even feel the pain. He just indulged himself in this act of passion that he'd resisted for so long, until, finally, it was Shampoo who placed her hands on Ranma's shoulders and forced him back, putting some space between their bodies.

They were both panting now, just trying to catch their breath after their frenzied showing of affection. Each met the other's eyes as they soaked in what they'd just done together.

"Ranma..."

"Yeah?"

"Shampoo still sweat from before. Need take bath first."

"O-...oh. Okay."

Shampoo planted a deep kiss on her man, tightening her grip on his shoulders. "You no go anywhere. You stay right here," she instructed him, and then offered another kiss. "When Shampoo come back, we do..._more_."

After initiating one last meeting of the lips between them, Shampoo eased Ranma back until he released the grip on her rear end and let her down. She slowly stepped to the side and then away from the wall, brushing one palm along Ranma's chest while she moved. She was so reluctant to stop here, both because of how much she was enjoying it and out of fear that Ranma may change his mind. But, if this was going where Shampoo thought it was going, then she wanted to present herself in perfect condition.

Forcing her body to turn around, Shampoo bolted toward the back of the restaurant and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her in her haste. Her heart and mind racing, she fell back against the door for a moment once she was inside. "_This it. Tonight is night!_" she thought excitedly.

Shampoo practically tore her clothes off as she rushed to get herself cleaned up. The heavens willing, she was going to make this a night that neither she nor Ranma would ever forget.

Meanwhile, out amongst the scattering of overturned tables and chairs in the dining area, Ranma stood there...and stood there...and stood there, his mind struggling to keep up with everything that had happened, as well as everything that was going to happen. "Do...more?" he echoed Shampoo's exact words to him. It didn't come right away, but in time, the meaning behind those two words started to sink in. "Whoooooaaaaa..."

Feeling lightheaded, Ranma staggered back a couple of steps. "Okay, just relax, Ranma," he made an effort to calm himself. "You started this, and you're not gonna back out now. Come on, you're a man, ain't ya?"

Ranma scanned around the restaurant as he tried to settle his nerves, eventually setting his sights on the front door. "Maybe some fresh air ain't a bad idea," he decided.

Shampoo had specifically told him not to go anywhere, but just going outside for a minute couldn't hurt, Ranma figured. It wasn't like he was running away or anything..._yet_. Thus, he stepped out into the night air for a much needed breather. His head tilted downward, and his eyes stared at nothing in particular as he leaned back against the restaurant's outside wall.

"Okay. We're okay. We've been with her for a while now. This was gonna happen sooner or later," Ranma reminded himself. All the while, he took deep breath after deep breath to ease his nervousness. "It's okay, though. It's okay! You're ready for this! If you can survive a life-and-death battle with Li, then this oughtta be easy!"

Raising his hands up to his face, Ranma slapped his cheeks to help psyche himself up. "Alright! Let's do this!"

On that empty road running along the line of businesses that included the Cat Café, the sound of breaking glass suddenly echoed throughout the night. Ranma, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the road had darkened, shot a glance in the direction of the noise. From what he could tell, the bulb in one of the streetlights had apparently blown out.

"Mmm," Ranma groaned, narrowing his eyes, "...is that some kinda sign? What the heck's it supposed to mean?"

Then, as Ranma was still looking over that way, another streetlight went out, this time closer. As he heard the shards of glass from the bulb falling to the concrete below, he instinctively raised his alertness. One bulb blowing could be written off as a random occurrence, but two? That seemed unlikely.

Moments later, Ranma's eyes picked up on something flying through the darkness. It was thin, but fleet, and before Ranma knew it, the object he'd seen had pierced through the streetlight beside the restaurant. The area darkened, and would quickly do so even more as yet another projectile flew in, this time running through and breaking both lights that illuminated the Cat Café's banner above its entrance.

Other than the light glow from the windows of nearby buildings, the road was plunged into the black of night. Ranma, his eyes still adjusting, stepped out into the middle of the path and faced the direction where the objects had flown in from. Something was coming, but who? Or _what_?

It was fortunate for Ranma that he had such sharp senses, because the next projectile that came was aimed straight at his forehead. His reflexes moving him out of harm's way, he reached up and snapped the object out of the air. Then, keeping his guard up, he opened his hand. With one look, everything became abundantly clear to him.

It was a black rose, and blood trickled from Ranma's hand where a thorn on the flower's stem had cut him. There was no mistaking it. _She_ had arrived.

Ranma looked up, allowing the rose to fall from his grasp. He could hear footsteps approaching, and soon, a figure appeared on the dimly lit road. She still had on that same leotard she'd worn at the match over the weekend, only now, it was stained with blood.

Dragging a ribbon along the road behind her, Kodachi Kuno, the lower half of her face from her nose on down covered by a dark-colored mask of some sort, stopped as she came face-to-face with her old love interest. Kodachi tilted her head as she looked upon him with those crazed eyes, a twisted smile hidden beneath her mask.

"Greetings to you...my darling, Ranma."

* * *

**End of Chapter 22**


	48. QoE: Redemption

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

"Need hurry! Why this take so long?"

Within the Cat Café's bath, Shampoo had become covered in soap suds as she tried to finish cleaning up as quickly as humanly possible. After a passionate exchange between she and Ranma in the dining area minutes earlier, the next step in their relationship was, by all indications, waiting to take place once Shampoo's bath was over. It was the moment Shampoo had been looking forward to for months, no, for _years_ now, and she wasn't about to postpone it any longer than she needed to. Taking hold of one end of a soaped up towel in each hand behind her, she scrubbed away at her back like there was no tomorrow. "Ranma, you wait right there! Shampoo no take much longer!"

Unbeknownst to Shampoo, however, was the volatile situation Ranma presently found himself in.

Outside the restaurant, Ranma was staring ahead at none other than Kodachi Kuno, and she back at him. Kodachi had made grand entrances before, but taking out all of the streetlights with her roses was a new one for Ranma. The dark mask covering her nose and mouth was different, too. Ranma didn't know what purpose that accessory served, if any, but there was one thing he was sure of: he'd never seen Kodachi exuding malice the likes of which he felt coming from her right now.

"Kodachi, huh?" Ranma finally spoke. He focused in on the dark red splotches on the girl's leotard. "That blood on ya...is it Kiriko's, or is it Mr. Tendo's?"

"Blood?" Kodachi asked, looking down at her attire as if she were unaware of the stains. "Oh, this? Kiriko's, I imagine."

Ranma took note of the fact that Kodachi wasn't even trying to hide what she'd done to her fellow gymnast. There wasn't a hint of remorse in her voice, either.

"That poor, poor girl," Kodachi shook her head, recalling everything she'd put Kiriko through two nights ago. "You know, Kiriko once said to me that no one would ever remember my name. Such irony it is, for I do not believe _she_ will ever forget it after what I did to her! Ahahahahahaaaaa!"

As he listened to Kodachi's twisted laughter, Ranma began to see just what Sasuke and Kuno had been trying to tell him. This person standing before him felt nothing like the Kodachi he was accustomed to. This person was _dangerous_. "You got really bad timin', y'know that?" he grumbled, knowing all of this wasn't going to work well with Shampoo's plans for the night. "Guess I oughtta be grateful, though. You saved me the trouble of lookin' for ya."

"You were searching for me? Oh, Darling, I'm flattered!" Kodachi giggled, looking upon him with eyes that reeked of ill intent. "I, too, am searching for someone, but, regrettably, it is not you. Perhaps you could assist me, though. Would you be so kind as to tell me where my dear second is?"

"Ringo's somewhere safe, and you ain't gettin' anywhere near her!" Ranma declared. Though his heart wasn't into it as it would be against most adversaries, he took up a fighting stance and prepared himself for whatever may come. If he didn't stop Kodachi here, Ringo was going to be in trouble, and that wasn't something he could afford to let happen. "I don't wanna fight you, Kodachi, but I'll do what I gotta do to stop ya from hurtin' anyone else."

Even with half of her face hidden, Kodachi's reaction to Ranma's steadfast words was clear. Just from the look in her eyes and the deep, purr-like noise that passed between her lips, it was obvious that she wasn't concerned. Rather, Kodachi was intrigued.

Smiling beneath her mask, Kodachi held arms out at her sides—the right arm further than the left. "Here I am, Ranma-darling," she gave him an invitation to attack. "Come and stop me, if you can."

Ranma was ready to take Kodachi up on the offer, but what happened next made him hesitate. As soon as Kodachi finished speaking, she began to emit her battle aura. At first it only wrapped around her body, but then, it kept growing. And growing. And growing. Soon, the amount of aura Kodachi was projecting became tremendous. And, as it collected above her, stretching well beyond even the height of the restaurant's roof, it took on its own, terrifying form: a human skull wrapped in thorn-covered vines.

As the jaw of the skull opened and its empty eye sockets stared down upon him, Ranma stood frozen with his mouth agape. He knew Kodachi might be a little different than he was used to, but _this_...this was beyond anything his wildest imagination could have conceived. "_You gotta be kiddin' me,_" his befuddled mind thought. "_This is...Kodachi...right? Then...why does it feel like I'm standin' in front of the ghoul or the old freak?_"

Ranma, in the midst of having Kodachi's aura projected upon him, felt something was amiss with himself, and that something would become apparent as he glanced down at his feet. His one foot that had been out in front of him was now behind him.

"_I took a step back? From Kodachi?_" Ranma realized. Faced with that level of battle aura, his body had reacted by wanting to retreat. "_Man, I ain't ever gonna live that down._"

Pulling himself back together, Ranma moved his foot forward again. "_This is stupid! Her battle aura don't mean nothin'!_" he told himself. "_Whether it's skill, brains or actual battle experience, I've got her beat. She ain't gonna be able to keep up with me if we fight. Let's just get this over with!_"

Ranma was up to the task, but Kodachi would show that she wasn't so easy to predict. All at once, that massive battle aura of hers dwindled into nothing. Ranma, unsure what to make of it, now appeared puzzled. Did she not want to fight, after all?

"Hmm," Kodachi tilted her head as she looked to be pondering something. Raising her right hand, she tapped a finger three times against her cheek. "Now that I think about it, all I really want is to know where Ringo is. Maybe it would be easier to just have that Chinese bimbo tell me."

In a flash, Kodachi bent her legs, and then sprung up into the air and onto the roof of the Cat Café. All of a sudden, it seemed as though her target had switched to Shampoo.

Ranma didn't like anyone going after Shampoo in the first place, but for Kodachi to do it right now was especially bad. Shampoo was in the bath, and she had no idea Kodachi was here. She wasn't even dressed, much less prepared to defend herself.

"Oh, no you don't! Get back here!" Ranma shouted at her. Wasting no time, he followed Kodachi up to the roof with a jump of his own.

As soon as Ranma's head eclipsed the roof's ledge, however, he found something unpleasant waiting for him. A purple sphere of energy, the same sort that had helped Kodachi in taking down Kiriko and Soun Tendo in back-to-back nights, was headed straight for his face.

Looking for some way to avoid the ball, Ranma quickly planted his right hand on the ledge and flung himself up and to the side, narrowly evading the attack as it soared past him. It was Kodachi's chi energy, no doubt about it. Even after Kuno had alluded to Kodachi having such an ability, Ranma was still surprised to see it. He wasn't out of the woods yet, either. As he hung in the air, Kodachi's ribbon, now glowing a deep violet color, was sharply whipped toward him.

Ranma could have tried to grab the gymnastics tool and take it from her, but something about that glow it was putting out told him he shouldn't. With little time to react, he twisted his body around in midair just as the ribbon reached him. The very tip tore through the fabric of his shirt and whizzed by the side of his face, but that was all it would get the chance to do. Having avoided major damage for now, Ranma finally touched down on the roof.

A thoroughly entertained Kodachi stood across from the pigtailed boy on the other side. "My, so very nimble you are!" she complimented him.

Ranma reached up and placed his hand against his cheek, then held it out to take a look at it. There was blood on his hand, more than would be produced by the cut from catching Kodachi's rose before. As he thought, the ribbon had gotten a piece of his cheek. He understood now just how careless he'd been. Kodachi had been baiting him, using Shampoo to make him rush hastily into a bad situation.

"You are very protective of that girl, aren't you?" Kodachi mused.

"You're damn right, I am!" Ranma snarled at her. "Your fight ain't with Shampoo, and it ain't with Ringo. Right now, your fight's with me! So come on!"

"Oh?" Kodachi took a close look at the martial artist, eying him from head to toe. "Are you sure you are in the proper shape for battle, Ranma-darling? You look a little...stiff."

Ranma narrowed his eyes at the crazed Kuno sibling. "What're you talkin' about?" he inquired. But, at that moment, Ranma would start to realize just what she meant. His legs, his arms...just a matter of seconds ago, they'd felt fine. And yet, now, the reactions of his limbs felt sluggish. The more he tried to move, the worse it seemed to get, too. "Wh-...what the...!"

Grinning beneath her mask, Kodachi opened up her left hand, allowing a powder to fall from it and drift away in the wind. "Did you not notice that you were downwind of me? How very silly of you."

Though he tried desperately to move, Ranma's body was failing him. "Paralysis...powder?" Suddenly, the reason for Kodachi's mask was apparent; she just didn't want to inhale any of the powder that was blowing Ranma's way.

Kodachi, no longer feeling threatened thanks to Ranma's current state, began casually strolling toward him. "Oh, yes, and the rose you grabbed before was soaked in a liquid version of it. If the thorns were to break through your skin, the paralyzing process would be accelerated," she explained. Once she was standing directly in front of Ranma, Kodachi reached out and grabbed his hand, taking a look at the wound her rose had left. "Just as I thought."

Ranma could do nothing as Kodachi swung her foot forward and kicked him flat onto his back. "Ko...da..." he tried to speak her name, but not even his mouth was operating properly now.

Letting her ribbon fall from her grasp, Kodachi stomped down on Ranma's chest with one foot, drawing a groan of pain from him. Without any further need of her mask, she reached up and tore it off. She was practically salivating as she looked down upon Ranma. It was as if she were sizing up the prey she'd just captured. "Does this not remind you of the first night we laid eyes upon each other, Darling?" she asked him. "You remember it, don't you? The night you stole my heart?"

Slowly, seductively, Kodachi lowered herself down onto Ranma and straddled his body. She looked deep into his unsettled eyes, brushing her hands across his damaged shirt all the while. "We were on the roof of the Tendo home, and you were on your back, just like this."

Using just her right hand, Kodachi grabbed within the cut her ribbon had made on Ranma's shirt and ripped it open completely, exposing his bare chest. She placed her hands against his abs, and then, gradually, she moved them upward across his upper torso and kept going in the direction of his head.

"And I was about to afford you the honor of giving me my first kiss," Kodachi reminded the man beneath her. "Sadly, Akane Tendo interfered on that night. But," she lowered her voice to a whisper, gripping both sides of Ranma's face tightly, "...who will stop me now?"

Fate, as it turned out, would not intervene a second time, as Kodachi bent down and forcefully pressed her lips against Ranma's. Kodachi closed her eyes, savoring her victory, and Ranma could do nothing to fight back. What started as a simple kiss evolved into more, as Ranma could feel Kodachi's tongue roaming around inside his mouth. She was going to milk this moment for all she could and enjoy it to the fullest.

Once Kodachi was finally content, she broke the kiss, pulling her face away from that of Ranma and reopening her eyes. With a look of great satisfaction, she licked around her lips as she looked down at her old love interest, just basking in the feeling that was her first kiss. "Oh, Ranma-darling, it tastes of sweet, sweet redemption after so long. And yet," she moved her hands down onto Ranma's throat as she spoke, and the joy on her face quickly faded, "...so very, very...disgusting."

In a quick swing of her emotions, Kodachi clamped down on Ranma's throat, viciously choking him. "You did not deserve to be my first kiss!" she hissed into his face. "The moment you chose that inferior bimbo over Kodachi Kuno, you were no longer worthy of me!"

Gagging as he struggled to breathe, Ranma would be given a fortunate break as Kodachi abruptly released her grip on his windpipe. But, as Ranma was gasping for air, Kodachi then reared back and slapped him across the cheek as hard as she could, leaving a dark, stinging red mark on the boy's face. The paralysis powder, Ranma noticed, may have immobilized him, but it did nothing to hinder the pain from Kodachi's slap.

Kodachi stayed there for a moment, just admiring her handiwork, and before long, that demented smile of hers returned. "Ahahaha. Ahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAAHAAAAHAAAAAA!"

Picking up her ribbon again, Kodachi got back to her feet. "Oh, what fun I've had tonight! I really did want to know where Ringo is, but, even if you _could_ speak, you would never tell me, would you? You're far too proud after all, Ranma-darling," she said to him. "But, that is perfectly fine. If you will not tell me where Ringo is, then I shall just have you deliver a message for me."

Kodachi held out her right arm, and her ribbon began to twirl. Within the ribbon's funnel, another mass of violet-colored energy began to grow, and Ranma could only watch helplessly, knowing well how this was likely to end for him.

Meanwhile, down in the restaurant's bath, Shampoo was running a towel over her hair as she finished drying herself off. She hadn't calmed down one bit since she'd left Ranma in the dining area. It had taken her longer to clean up than she would have liked, but she made sure the time spent was doubly productive by using it to plan what all she might want to do with Ranma tonight, and in what order. If Ranma wanted to dictate the pace then so be it, but if not, she was prepared.

Shampoo wrapped the towel around her body and tucked it in beside her breast so that it stayed in place. She was ready as could be. "Ranma," she spoke, her voice filled with fiery passion and determination, "...tonight, you belong Shampoo!"

*_BOOM!_*

Shampoo jumped as she heard a loud, thunderous noise above her. That noise was soon followed by part of the ceiling crashing down, and by something big falling straight through it and splashing into the bath water. The power to the bathroom light was cut off, leaving the only illumination coming from the flickering light of the bedroom through the hole in the ceiling up above.

Stunned for a moment, Shampoo stepped over to the bath to see what had fallen. As she would find out, that falling object happened to be her pigtailed beau. "Ranma!" she shrieked, her eyes wide with shock as she pulled his head up from the water.

Ranma was out cold, and Shampoo immediately took notice of his injuries. His hand was bleeding, his cheek was bleeding, his shirt was in tatters, and almost his entire chest was red, as if it had just been hit hard by something.

Seeing Ranma this way left Shampoo in a state of fury that surpassed even the time after Ukyou had struck her from behind earlier today. She glared upward through the newly created hole in the ceiling, a trickle of blood running down from her bottom lip as she bit down on it. Whoever had done this hadn't followed Ranma down here. In that case, Shampoo would go to them.

After setting Ranma down on the floor of the bath, Shampoo bounded up into the bedroom, and then out onto the roof in her towel. She looked every which way for Ranma's attacker, but whoever it was, they hadn't stuck around. There was no one to be seen on the darkened road along the front of the restaurant, nor anywhere else nearby.

Shampoo, shaking with anger, clenched her fists at her sides. What had looked like it was going to be a promising night had been completely ruined, and there was nobody around to pay the price for it.

Her overflowing emotions spilling out, Shampoo bellowed loudly into the night. "WHO DO THIS?"

* * *

"Phew, finally done!"

Elsewhere, over in the kitchen of Alysse's home, Ringo was drying her hands off after wiping clean the last of the dishes from she and Alysse's dinner. Alysse had wanted them to do the dishes together, but Ringo was insistent that she should do it by herself so that she was pulling her weight while staying there as a guest. Alysse didn't think of it as work, more of just another activity they could share really, but nonetheless she eventually caved in and let Ringo take care of the dishes on her own.

Now that her task was finished, Ringo took off the apron she'd been wearing and trotted out of the kitchen...then stopped. Something was...wrong. She turned her head to look in a southwesterly direction. All she saw before her was the wall of Alysse's house, but far, far beyond that sat her workplace, the Cat Café restaurant.

"Ranma?" Ringo spoke the name of her former male half.

In the midst of Ringo's spacing out, Alysse, carrying her gym bag with her, stepped into the home's entryway from the living room. "Ringo?" she blinked, noticing the girl's odd behavior. "Something wrong?"

The young redhead seemed to snap back to reality upon hearing Alysse's voice. "Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing," Ringo assured her. Something really didn't feel right, but that wasn't a piece of information that Ringo wanted to burden Alysse with right now. Speaking of the blonde girl, seeing the strap of that gym bag hanging over her shoulder left Ringo to wonder if she had plans. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Hmm? No, no, I'm just taking this up to my room since I left it down here yesterday," Alysse replied. As if she could ever bear to leave Ringo somewhere by herself while Kodachi was still on the loose.

"Ahh, okay. You always have it with you, so I got the impression you might be heading out," Ringo explained her thought process. "Umm, I hope you don't mind my asking, but what sort of things do you keep in there? I've always kind of wondered, and I never remember to ask."

When posed with that question, an odd expression came over Alysse's face—one that made it seem as though she was caught off guard and not prepared to answer. "O-oh, you know...a water bottle, towels, things like that," she stuttered over her reply. "I'm a bit of a workout nut, if you haven't noticed."

"Yeah, I had a feeling," Ringo chuckled. When they'd gone to the pool together not long ago, Alysse's physique and swimming prowess left Ringo with little doubt that the taller girl had a regular and extensive exercise routine. "Hey, Alysse...am I...keeping you from your workouts?"

Alysse couldn't help but smile as she responded with a shake of her head. It was just like Ringo to worry about this sort of thing. "Ringo, believe me when I say that I couldn't care less about working out right now. Some things are more important than that," she winked at the other girl. "Anyway, you haven't taken a bath since you've been here, have you? Why don't you go take one?"

"Ah...you're right. Actually, a bath sounds pretty nice," Ringo agreed with the suggestion.

"Right? Then, after that, I was thinking...maybe we could bring some blankets and pillows down to the living room and have a little slumber party tonight. Watch a movie, talk about stuff, that sort of thing," Alysse twiddled her fingers, averting her eyes from Ringo. "Or...we don't have to, if you don't want to."

Ringo giggled a bit at the idea. "Sure. It sounds like fun."

Alysse, who was worried that Ringo might think a slumber party sounded stupid and childish, perked up at the girl's answer. "Really? Great! I-...I mean, yeah, it'll be fun," she tried to contain her excitement. "I'll go find you some fresh clothes to change into once you're done with the bath."

While Alysse headed upstairs with her gym bag, Ringo looked off in the direction of the Cat Café again. It may have just been her imagination, but she could have sworn she'd felt something before. Whatever the case, she could only hope that Ranma and Shampoo were still safe and sound.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, a lone girl stood before the entrance to the Kuno estate. With all sorts of questions and still no answers, she let out an annoyed snort as she watched the gate close in front of her.

That girl was Sakura "Heavy Metal" Okazaki.

"So nobody knows where 'Dachi is, huh? That's great. That's just great," Sakura muttered to herself. Having not gotten any helpful information out of those closest to Kodachi, she hopped back on her motorcycle and fired up the engine. "Well, the hell with that. I didn't come all the way here just to go back empty-handed. I'm gonna find her ass even if it takes me all damn night!"

Slamming her foot down on the gas, Sakura sped away from the Kuno residence. The only others she knew that were familiar with Kodachi, besides Ringo, of course, were Ranma and Shampoo. With that in mind, she figured it might be worth stopping by the Cat Café to see if they had any leads she could use.

Throughout the streets Sakura rode, her leather jacket and loose-fitting jeans whipping in the wind along with her pink hair. About halfway along the route to the restaurant, she opted to make a brief stop by a set of three vending machines outside a closed market. This had the potential of being a long night, and grabbing a little something to keep her going sounded like a wise idea.

Sakura got off of her bike and stepped up to take a closer look at what the machines held. One of them had an assortment of drinks to choose from, another contained snack foods, and the third one had a fair selection of beer. For a moment, she eyed the machine with the beer.

"God, that sounds good. Too bad I can't tonight," Sakura said with a disappointed sigh. "Gonna grab some coffee and back away before ya tempt me any more."

Knowing her goal for the night would prevent her from any enjoyable drinking, Sakura began sizing up the coffee selections in the normal drink machine. It was a warm and humid night, but she could never stand cold coffee, so one of the heated cans would have to do. One brand that cost 120 yen stood out to her, and she settled on that.

Sakura reached into her jeans pocket to fish out the money, but her quest for caffeine was about to encounter a serious roadblock. Out of nowhere, a violet light flashed by before her eyes, and sparks flew from the three vending machines. As a startled Sakura jumped back, the upper portions of the machines slid to the side and crashed down onto the ground, spilling various cans and coins everywhere. All of the machines had been sliced through by a single, diagonal cut.

"So many interesting people lingering outdoors tonight," a female voice spoke all of a sudden.

Her heart beating wildly from the scare, Sakura turned to her right, where there stood the very person she'd been looking for. "Kodachi..." she mouthed, for once not using her abbreviated version of the girl's name. As she looked Kodachi over, she couldn't believe it was the same gymnast she'd just been rooting on two days ago. That dirty, blood-stained leotard, and that expression that made her question the bearer's sanity...was this really...her? "Holy hell. What happened to you?"

Kodachi, fresh off of her destruction of Ranma, slowly twirled her ribbon in the air beside her as she grinned menacingly back at her fellow gymnast. "I believe you should be more concerned with what will happen to _you_," she suggested in a threatening tone.

Sakura now turned the rest of her body to face Kodachi. "Why? You gonna do to me what you did to Kiriko?" she asked, not showing any fear whatsoever.

"I am considering it," Kodachi answered her honestly.

"Oh, cut the crap, 'Dachi! I'm not scared of you!" Sakura snapped back at her. "Do you have any idea what you did?"

Kodachi cocked her head, not sure what the other girl was talking about. "I have done quite a bit as of late. Could you perhaps be more specific?"

"Kiriko," Sakura clarified for her. "Because of what you did, Kiriko can't make it to the finals of the Queen of Extreme Tournament. You know what that means? Old man Tanaka had to give that bitch, Priscilla, the win by forfeit! She just won the damn thing for the fourth year in a row, and she didn't even have to break a sweat doing it!"

Kodachi shrugged her shoulders, completely indifferent about the news. "And? Kiriko could not win anyway. You said that yourself, did you not?"

"Even a microscopic chance that Kiriko might win would've been worth it just to knock that damned Priscilla off her throne, but thanks to you, we won't even get that!" Sakura angrily told her. "And now look at you! You've got the cops after your ass! You think Tanaka's ever gonna let you back in the EGF now?"

Faced with Sakura's criticism, the demeanor of the Black Rose darkened. "I do not care," Kodachi hissed in reply. "Kiriko got what she deserved, and I am done with the Extreme Gymnastics Federation. There is only one thing I am concerned with right now, and that is teaching my traitorous second a lesson."

Sakura wasn't happy with Kodachi as it was, but nothing made her more upset than hearing the other gymnast say she didn't care about the EGF anymore. "Dammit, 'Dachi! Why do you think I wanted you to beat Priscilla?" she boldly shouted. "Sure, yeah, I wanted to see someone take the championship title from her. But after that, before I graduated next year and went off to America to chase after Cat Five, I wanted one more match with _you_! Tanaka Arena on Odaiba! Filled to capacity! You and me for the EGF Championship! A rematch after that war we put on at my school!"

Kodachi could see that Sakura meant what she said. She could see it in her body language, and she could hear it in her impassioned words. To say she fully comprehended those words, however, would be a mistake. "I do not understand how that desire of yours has been lost," she said. The twirling of her ribbon stopped, and she shot a deadly glare at the other girl. "If what you wish for is a fight, I shall be happy to oblige you right here and now."

Sakura really did feel like socking Kodachi just once after hearing that. Kodachi didn't get it at all. "I don't want a fight! I want a _match_!" Sakura corrected her. "Thousands and thousands of people watching us go at it, roaring with every hit! All that excitement in the air! We could have put on the greatest match in EGF history, 'Dachi! That's what I wanted! To be a part of _that_! With _you_!"

For once on this night, Kodachi remained still, and quiet.

Across from her, Sakura's chest was heaving in and out after spilling her guts to her one-time opponent. She didn't know what was going through Kodachi's mind right now, but Sakura had said what she'd come to say, and that was good enough for her. "If you wanna come at me, then you go ahead and you do it," Sakura welcomed her to make a move. It was clear just by looking at her, though, that she didn't want to clash with Kodachi outside of a gymnastics ring.

Her face showing her displeasure, Kodachi raised her ribbon up...then let it fall again. Over and over, she bobbed the ribbon up and down as she seemingly tried to decide what she wanted to do. Soon, she started to bat her eyes, and a wince followed. Her body now trembling, she slapped her right hand over her face.

Kodachi peeked at Sakura from between her fingers. She was confused, and she was wavering. Why was this happening? She didn't understand it. Not at all.

Finally, Kodachi let her hand fall to her side, and she began staggering forward.

Sakura stood her ground as Kodachi approached her. No matter what Kodachi's intentions were, Sakura just wasn't the type to back down.

Then, partway to Sakura, Kodachi changed course. She kept walking, but rather than heading straight for the pink-haired girl, she veered to her left. Seconds later, Kodachi was standing right beside Sakura. Neither of them looked at each other. Neither said a thing.

Sakura waited, and, breaking the silence at last, Kodachi issued her a command of two simple words.

"Go home."

With that, Kodachi left, vanishing into the darkness of the night. Sakura, not expecting things to end in such a way, spun around to catch the other girl, but the only remaining trace of Kodachi's presence was a flurry of black rose petals falling from above.

Amidst the mess of vending machine debris all around her, Sakura held out her hand, watching as one of the petals fell into it. She wasn't the sort to normally let herself get down about things, but somehow, looking at that rose petal in her hand, she felt a sadness within her heart.

"You've got no beef with me...huh, 'Dachi?"

* * *

**End of Chapter 23**


	49. QoE: A Secret No More

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

In the afternoon following Kodachi's latest assault, Ranma Saotome, shirtless and bandaged all over his upper body, lay on a futon within the bedroom on the top floor of the Cat Café restaurant. Still mostly under the effects of the paralyzing chemicals used on him, all he could do was stare up at the ceiling, the newly damaged part of which had been temporarily covered by a tarp. Just stare, and listen to the eerie scraping sounds coming from beside him.

The noise was that of a blade being sharpened, and it was being produced by Shampoo. In front of the Chinese Amazon, a whetstone normally used for sharpening the restaurant's cooking knives sat atop a towel. Today, the blade being sharpened was no cooking knife, though. Rather, it was Shampoo's seldom-used sword.

Ranma felt incredibly uneasy listening to the sound of the metal being run over the stone. He hadn't seen Shampoo bring out her sword in what seemed like forever. It was a clear sign that, after what had happened last night, she meant business.

"Ranma," Shampoo addressed her man, not taking her eyes off of the blade in her hand.

"...Yeah?" Ranma groaned, his mouth the only part of him that he could move reasonably well.

"Tell again what happen with Kuno girl," Shampoo requested of him.

This wasn't the first time today that Ranma had been pressed for that information, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. "I was a moron and didn't realize she might be usin' paralysis powder, so I got beat," he admitted his mistake yet again.

While Shampoo appreciated Ranma's honesty, what he'd just described wasn't the part of last night's events that she wanted to hear about. "No, after that happen."

"After that, she blew me through the roof with a chi blast," Ranma muttered.

Again, that wasn't what Shampoo was after. "Before that," she insisted.

Ranma cringed uncomfortably, knowing now exactly the answer that was expected of him. "Before that...she kissed me."

The mental image burned into her mind, Shampoo raised her sword up to inspect the new sharpness of the blade. "Shampoo no can forgive that," she seethed.

Ranma could feel the bloodlust emanating from his girlfriend. Honestly, he didn't get why she was more upset about the kiss than she was the blast that sent him crashing down into the bath. "Don't ya think you should maybe calm down a little?" he nervously suggested.

"Kuno girl know Ranma belong Shampoo. If she no is prepared to pay price for what she do, is own problem," Shampoo defended her resolve to make Kodachi regret touching Ranma.

"C'mon, it's just a kiss," Ranma downplayed the whole incident. As much as he was in agreement with the need to stop Kodachi before she got to Ringo, he didn't want to see her on the wrong end of Shampoo's blade. "Ain't you kinda overreactin' to this?"

Shampoo spun around and turned a sharp look on her immobile beau. "No," she bluntly answered. "Ah...that remind Shampoo..."

Ranma watched from the corner of his eye as Shampoo set her sword down and walked to the other side of the room. Though he couldn't move his head well enough to see what she was doing, he could definitely hear her rummaging through something. Once she had retrieved what she was looking for, Shampoo came back, and, positioning herself so that she was standing over top of Ranma, she plopped herself down onto his bandaged abdomen.

"Aaaaaaghh!" Ranma growled from the sudden rush of pain in his sore gut. "What the heck was THAT for?"

As Shampoo brought a hand to her mouth, Ranma noticed that she was holding something. It was a small bottle of peppermint-flavored breath freshener. She opened her mouth and gave it two sprays of the minty solution. Then, chucking the bottle over her shoulder, she leaned over Ranma's face, planting her hands against the futon on either side of his head.

"Wh-...what is it?" Ranma blinked.

"That girl put dirty mouth on Ranma. Shampoo need disinfect," she answered him.

Alas, it was all becoming apparent to Ranma now. "W-wait a sec, you're not serious, are ya?" he asked, but the look on Shampoo's face told him that she wasn't joking around at all. "H-hey now, I can't move here, Shampoo. Shampoo? Sha-mmmphh!"

* * *

Later on in the day, after the sun had set and nighttime had arrived, Ringo Saotome was laying out an assortment of blankets and pillows in the living room of Alysse's home. Last night, they'd given Alysse's slumber party idea a go, and they'd both enjoyed it quite a bit. It was nothing special really, just watching a movie together and then chatting for a while until Ringo finally couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep. It was fun, though, enough so that they both wanted to do it again tonight. So, while Alysse had gone off to take a bath, Ringo was making the preparations.

Before Alysse had headed upstairs, she'd left Ringo with the task of trying to come up with anything else in particular she'd like to do tonight, which, according to the day's weather reports, was going to be stormy. Ringo wasn't having much luck coming up with other activities for the night, but she was certainly glad that someone else would be sleeping in the same room as her. She disliked thunderstorms and the startling noises that accompanied them with a passion.

Ringo laid out the last of the blankets, kneeling down by the floor in her black shorts and t-shirt featuring the logo of the Yakult Swallows professional baseball team, both of which were seldom-used clothing items that Alysse had wrangled up for the young waitress to wear. Then, not far away, the phone began to ring.

"The phone? Ahh...Alysse is in the bath," Ringo realized.

As the ringing persisted, Ringo walked out of the living room and over to a small table near the home's entryway where the phone sat. She hesitated to actually pick it up, though. "Ohhh, I don't know about this. Should I really answer it? I mean...I don't live here. But...it might be important. I shouldn't just let it ring, right?" she fretted, torn over what she should do. "Oh, jeez! I'll just do it!"

Having settled on a decision, Ringo picked up the phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello, this is the..." she started to say, but quickly realized she was missing an important piece of information, "...ah...I...I don't know Alysse's last name..."

"Ringo?" someone on the other end spoke.

Ringo, recognizing the voice, batted her eyes. "Shampoo?"

"Is good you okay," Shampoo said with relief.

Ringo, too, was relieved, but for other reasons. "I'm so glad it's just you, Shampoo. That would have been so awkward if it were Alysse's family or one of her friends calling," she sulked, ashamed of her poor job of answering the phone. "I can't believe I've never asked Alysse what her last name is. I'm going to find out just as soon as she's out of the bath!"

Shampoo could be heard snickering a little at the girl's expense. "Ringo always worry about so silly things," she poked fun at the redhead.

"I know," Ringo hung her head, well aware that it was a fault of hers. "Did you want to talk to Alysse?"

"No need to. Just you is okay," Shampoo told her. "Shampoo only call so can warn Ringo and Alysse about tricks Kuno girl use."

The mention of Kodachi brought an end to the lighthearted banter, and also greatly caught Ringo's interest. "Kodachi's...tricks?" she asked.

So far, there had been no concerns that Kodachi would locate where Ringo was staying. Shampoo knew, however, that there was no guarantee things would stay that way. It was worth the time to make sure the girls were prepared in the event that they were found. "She use wind to blow paralyzing powder at enemy from far away, and also throw rose that paralyze if thorn cut you. And she use chi energy for attack, too," she explained, going off of Ranma's experience from the night before. "If Ringo or Alysse see Kuno girl, no touch roses, no stand in direction wind blow, and watch out for chi attack. You remember that?"

Ringo found the information interesting. Kodachi had used paralysis powder before, but Ringo couldn't recall her ever using it from a distance. And the single roses Kodachi threw never had adverse effects on their own before. Evidently, Kodachi had tweaked her tricks of the past to be more effective. The part about the use of chi energy was perhaps the most surprising, though. Ringo had never seen Kodachi put that particular skill on display, but she trusted that Shampoo was sure of what info she was passing along. "Okay, I'll keep it in mind. And I'll tell Alysse about it, too," Ringo assured Shampoo. There was something that was bothering her about all of this, though. "Umm...how did you find this out? Did something happen?"

Shampoo wasn't surprised to be posed that question. She didn't necessarily want to answer it, either, but she had already decided that she would if it came up. Ringo was at the center of this whole situation. Whether she liked what she heard or not, she deserved to know the truth of what was going on. "Kuno girl attack Ranma and Tendo family," she answered her honestly.

Upon hearing those words, the phone nearly dropped from Ringo's hand. She couldn't believe what she'd just been told. "N-no!" her voice shook. "Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay!"

"Tendo father still in hospital, but Kasumi getting better, and Ranma get better, too, when can move again," Shampoo informed her.

Ringo fell back against the wall, shaking her head in disbelief. "_Kodachi...attacked Ranma? She attacked Mr. Tendo? Even Kasumi?_" she thought to herself. "_That...can't be..._"

"Ringo?" Shampoo spoke the other girl's name, worried about the silence on the other end.

"_They didn't have anything to do with this. Kodachi was after me. Why would she...why would she hurt them? Why?_"

"Ringo...?"

"_It was me she wanted. They got hurt...because of me. Because of me..._"

"Ringo!"

As Shampoo raised her voice, Ringo snapped back to attention.

"You stay there and no worry," Shampoo instructed the shaken girl. "Shampoo going to find Kuno girl, and Shampoo going to stop her. Ringo understand?"

Her mind still spinning, Ringo didn't respond at first, and that prompted another shout into the phone.

"RINGO!" Shampoo yelled to get through to her again.

"Y-...yeah. I understand," Ringo finally answered her, albeit halfheartedly.

After a few more words, the two girls exchanged goodbyes, and Ringo hung up the phone. Even though Shampoo had told her not to worry, she remained distraught. No matter what happened from this point forward, it wouldn't erase what had been done to her friends. It wouldn't erase the fact that they'd been hurt because they'd been trying to protect her.

"Kiriko. Kasumi. Mr. Tendo. Ranma," Ringo sobbed to herself, thinking of all those who had suffered at Kodachi's hands. "This has to stop. It has to stop!"

* * *

A short while later, Alysse, having just finished up her bath and gotten dressed, was brushing her hair in front of the bathroom mirror. With hair so long that it could touch her kneecaps, it required a great deal of care to maintain properly. Alysse never minded it, though. She liked her hair the way it was, and she knew Ringo liked it, too.

Once she was satisfied with the job she'd done, Alysse set her hairbrush down on the counter of the sink, then spared a moment to take a look at herself in the mirror. As she stared at the reflection of the clothes she wore, the bottom half of a jogging suit that she used as pants and a plain, sleeveless t-shirt that showed off her toned upper arms, she couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. "Everything I wear is so boyish," she frowned. "I wonder if Ringo would like it better if I wore a skirt or something every now and then."

Alysse had been getting to know Ringo for over three months now, and, as she'd grown more and more fond of the girl, little concerns like this had been popping into her mind more frequently. Over the past few days, however, there was another idea that she'd been tangling with even more.

"It's...just the two of us here, and we're getting along really well. I know I'm terrible at stuff like this, but...maybe now really would be a good time to tell her how I feel," she thought aloud. That idea would quickly be dismissed with an amused snort and a shake of her head, though. "As if. How am I supposed to do that when I'm still too much of a coward to let her know the truth about me?"

Putting aside that line of thought for the time being, Alysse headed out of the bathroom and down the staircase of her home, now running a towel over her hair to quicken the drying process. "Ringo, did you think of anything else you want to do tonight?" she called out to her guest. But a few seconds passed, and, strangely, there was no answer. "Ringo?"

As Alysse reached the bottom of the stairs, she peeked into the kitchen to see if the girl was in there, but the room was empty. Figuring Ringo might have fallen asleep, Alysse stepped into the living room to see if that was the case. Again, however, there was no Ringo. All Alysse found were the pillows and blankets Ringo had laid out on the floor, and, on top of one of the pillows, a piece of paper that had been folded in half.

Alysse took the towel from her head and dropped it to the floor. She already had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her sense of urgency rising in a hurry, she swooped down, grabbed the piece of paper and opened it up.

Inside that paper, Ringo had left a note which read with a short and simple, but heartfelt message, "_Alysse, I'm sorry. Thank you for everything. -Ringo_"

The note said nothing specific about where Ringo had gone or what she planned on doing, but somehow, Alysse knew, and a panicked look immediately came over her. "She _didn't_...!"

Nearly tripping over her own feet, Alysse flew out of the room and over to where her phone sat. In her haste, she accidentally dialed the wrong number, hung up, and had to dial again. "Come on, come on, COME ON!"

Elsewhere, over at the Cat Café, the phone there now started to ring. Imagining it must have been a grocer confirming a delivery of cooking ingredients or something of the like, Shampoo strolled over and picked it up. "Nihao, this Cat Café restaurant. Shampoo spea-"

"She's GONE!" a voice blared into Shampoo's ear, interrupting her.

Shampoo, surprised by the outburst, yanked the phone away for a moment until she was sure that the caller was quiet. "Who this?"

"Ringo! She's gone, dammit!" the person on the other end shouted.

With the mention of Ringo's name, Shampoo was able to match the voice she heard to a familiar face. "Alysse?" she asked, starting to process the news she'd just been given. If Ringo was gone, and such a short time after she'd heard about Kodachi's attacks on Ranma and the Tendo family, then there was one very likely answer to the question of where she had went. Knowing just what that was, Shampoo slapped a hand over her face in dismay. "What Shampoo just tell Ringo? That stupid...!"

"What? Did you call here?" Alysse became angry as she took an interest in Shampoo's actions. "What the hell did you tell her?"

Shampoo wasn't so sure anymore that she should have let Ringo in on what had happened, but now wasn't the time to debate that. "No have time explain. Right now, Shampoo need find Ringo!"

"Wait! WAIT!" Alysse spoke up before Shampoo could put down the phone. "Tell me where Kodachi lives!"

Having watched Alysse and Ringo develop their friendship over the past few months, Alysse's request didn't come as a great shock to Shampoo. The Amazon girl wasn't eager to have a second endangered life on her conscience in addition to Ringo's, though. "Alysse, Kuno girl very dangerous," she calmly explained. "You stay home and let Shampoo fight tha-"

"I don't CARE! I don't care what happens to me, just hurry up and tell me! We're wasting time!" Alysse desperately pleaded into the phone. "Please, I need to help her! She means _everything_ to me!"

Shampoo didn't want to do it. She knew it wasn't a good idea. But, there was also something to be said for someone's resolve and determination to help those they cared about. If Shampoo refused and something were to happen to Ringo, Alysse would never, ever forgive her for it.

In the end, Alysse got through to Shampoo, and she learned just what she wanted to learn. Once off the phone, she rushed to the front door, but then abruptly skidded to a stop. There was something she needed to retrieve first.

Alysse spun around and bounded up the stairs to her room, and, when she came back down, she had her gym bag with her. Securing the strap of the bag over her shoulder, she slipped on her shoes, flung open the door and bolted out into the night.

Meanwhile, in the Cat Café's bedroom, Ranma remained stuck on his futon, unable to move around on his own. And to make matters worse, after nearly two hours of "disinfecting" from Shampoo, his mouth felt numb again. Shampoo's, on the other hand, was apparently just fine, and that was simply baffling to him. But, on the bright side, his breath was now minty fresh. When you can't move, you learn to appreciate the small joys in life.

Whatever serenity Ranma was enjoying from the freshness of his breath would be put on hold, though, when Shampoo burst into the room all of a sudden and made a beeline for her weapon stash in the closet. "Whoa, what's goin' on?" Ranma inquired.

"Ringo go to find Kuno girl," Shampoo notified him.

"WHAT?" Ranma shouted. Fearing for the young redhead's life, he tried to sit himself up, but he couldn't get his head any more than an inch off the futon.

Shampoo didn't turn around while she focused on preparing herself for battle, but she knew what was running through the mind of her man. "Ranma no can move. You stay here," she ordered him.

"Forget that!" Ranma defiantly refused, still trying to will his body to move in a showing of his stubbornness. "I ain't lettin' ya go after Kodachi alone!"

Irked by the comment, Shampoo now looked back at him. "Ranma!" she sharply snapped, grabbing his attention. "When Ranma fight Jukai, Shampoo stay back and believe Ranma win. Now is Ranma turn believe in Shampoo."

Shampoo was right. She was right, and Ranma already knew it. As he'd grown more attached to her, he'd become more protective of her, and he was perfectly aware of that. She was a martial artist too, though, and a hell of a strong one at that. Right now, someone needed to save Ringo, and Shampoo was quite possibly the only one capable of it. At some point, Ranma needed to just believe in her. It may as well have been now, because at the moment, he didn't have much choice.

"Alright. I hear ya, Shampoo," Ranma, acknowledging the futility of his efforts, ended his struggles as he laid back down. "But you promise me, PROMISE ME you'll be careful, ya got it? Kodachi ain't anything like she used to be. If it gets rough, you take Ringo and get the heck outta there."

All set to go, Shampoo knelt down by the futon, cupped Ranma's cheek with her hand, and shared with him a tender, loving kiss before she took off. "Shampoo promise come back to Ranma safe," she assured the pigtailed boy. "And Shampoo bring Ringo back with. Ranma count on that."

* * *

As the night wore on, Ringo, alone and far from the safety of Alysse's home, found herself walking briskly down a quiet residential road along the route to the Kuno estate. Whether or not Kodachi would be there, she couldn't be sure, but it was as good a place to start as any.

Ringo really didn't know what sort of fate awaited her should she succeed in finding the twisted gymnast. Kodachi was dangerous enough that she'd found a way to best both Ranma and Soun Tendo, and she obviously held enough disdain for her former second that she would attack even a harmless, innocent Kasumi to get to her. It didn't appear to bode well for Ringo, but, quite frankly, she didn't care anymore. This entire mess of a situation had gone way, way too far, and she wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt for her sake. She was going to do what she should have done in the first place: set things straight with Kodachi face-to-face.

While Ringo advanced further down the road, a flash of lightning appeared in the distant sky—a sign of the approaching thunderstorms that had been forecast for tonight. The very sight sent a shiver throughout her body. She was already jittery as it was; the last thing she needed was for one of the storms she so disliked to move into the area while she was stuck outdoors.

On this night, however, thunder and lightning would prove to be the least of the girl's worries.

The moment Ringo came upon an intersection in the road, a violet-colored ball of light flew in from her right side and crashed into the concrete in front of her, exploding upon impact. Ringo shrieked as she was thrown back by the force of the blast, while the wall near where she had stood before cracked and crumbled next to the newly-formed crater in the road where the ball had struck.

Ringo hit the ground hard, eventually rolling to a stop next to a streetlight she had just passed. "Ouuuuuch," she groaned in pain. Her clothes dirtied and her ponytail hanging over her shoulder, she slowly began pushing herself up off the ground.

Then, as Ringo was facing forward, she saw the streetlight up ahead of her burst and go out. An ensuing sound of glass breaking and the disappearance of some of the light that once shone upon the road told her that the one well behind her had gone out as well. Finally, the light she was next to was also hit by something, and the glass from its bulb fell to the concrete beside her. The light didn't go out completely, instead continuing to flicker on and off, but that flickering light was the only illumination remaining on the now darkened section of residential streets.

Ringo briefly glanced up at the damaged light, then looked ahead to the intersection again. And, from behind the wall of the intersecting road, out _she_ stepped. Kodachi "The Black Rose" Kuno; vengeful, dangerous, _deadly_. With a predatory look in her eyes, she walked out to the middle of the road and stopped. Then, turning to face the one she'd been searching for, a euphoric, yet deranged grin crossed her face.

"I fooooound youuuu," Kodachi cooed.

There were no words from Ringo as she got her first look at the disturbing change Kodachi had undergone. The only sound she made was from a gasp that had been drawn out of the sheer shock of what she saw beneath the flickering light. That unkempt appearance, and the bloodstained leotard more than anything...Kodachi felt nothing like the girl that Ringo had accompanied to the ring at Kolhotz High just a few days prior.

"I was right; I did not need to go through the trouble of looking for you," Kodachi boasted, gripping the handle of her ribbon tightly in her right hand. "All I had to do was go after those you cared about, and you came out of hiding all on your own."

"Kodachi..." Ringo finally stifled out her former partner's name, "...no, that's not you...that can't be you..."

"It is what you made me become!" Kodachi screamed, her mood quickly souring. "I trusted you, and you...you betrayed me! You walked out on me!"

Her body still sore from the fall, Ringo managed to get herself back up to her knees. "I would never do that!" she cried out in her defense. "It wasn't me, Kodachi. You have to believe me!"

"Oh, no, you cannot squirm your way out of this!" Kodachi angrily put a stop to what she perceived was an excuse from Ringo. "I saw you turn your back on me and leave! I saw it with my own two eyes! You...you are a traitor! A TRAITOR!"

Ringo didn't know what she could say. It may not have been her that had walked out on Kodachi, but it _was_ her body. No matter how many times she said it wasn't her, it may not have been possible for Kodachi to ever believe her. "Kodachi..."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Kodachi began to walk forward. "You cost me everything, and for that...you will pay!"

As Kodachi slowly advanced on her, Ringo just shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to fight you, Kodachi," she whimpered.

Kodachi started to twirl her ribbon, which, much like her initial attack earlier, took on a violet glow. "I do not care if you fight or not," she hissed, raising her ribbon up over her head. "All you need to do is kneel right there...and take what is coming to you!"

Hellbent on revenge, Kodachi whipped her ribbon in Ringo's direction, and Ringo froze like a deer caught in the headlights. She desperately didn't want to fight against Kodachi. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. But if not that, what else could she do? Running wouldn't solve anything. She didn't have any answers. Not a single one.

As the glowing ribbon neared her, Ringo threw up her arms to shield herself, bracing for whatever may happen.

But, at that very moment, Kodachi spotted something emerging from the darkness. Out of nowhere, a large bag flew in from behind Ringo, soaring over the girl's head, and intercepted Kodachi's ribbon. The bag was severed in half, and its contents went flying, but it was enough to deflect the ribbon away from its intended target.

Wondering what had happened, Ringo opened her eyes to see a number of items falling to the ground. Some clothing, some towels and a water bottle were among them, and everything else...she recognized it. All of it. Ribbons. Ropes. Clubs. Hoops. The bag had been filled with gymnastics tools.

Suddenly, something else appeared from the darkness, as Ringo watched a person followed by a wave of blonde hair fly over top of her. The mystery savior grabbed several of the tools out of the air, and, in a flash, flung them at Kodachi.

While she was surprised by the sudden nuisance, Kodachi wasn't going to be scared off by gymnastics tools, of all things. With a club heading toward her, she twisted her ribbon around so that it knocked the tool aside. Things wouldn't be so simple, though, as a second club, which had been hidden from view by the first, was directly behind it. Her ribbon now out of position to deal with the projectile, she instead used the backside of her right hand to bat it away.

As Kodachi watched the second club fall away and looked forward again, her eyes widened at what she saw. There had been a third club right behind the other two, and it was merely an inch away from her face. Kodachi no longer had any tool or part of her body in position to deal with it, nor the reaction time to avoid it. The base of the club slammed into her right eye, drawing a growl from the crazed gymnast. Putting a hand over her stinging eye, Kodachi took two steps back as she reeled from the impact, then glared ahead furiously at the one who had harmed her.

Kodachi's assailant landed in front of Ringo, her long hair settling into place along her back. Crouching down into a battle-ready stance, she lowered her left hand—the handles of four clubs stuck between her fingers—and held a golden-colored ribbon between her lips, the handle of which was firmly in the grasp of her other hand. She was panting from having run so fast over such a distance, but her eyes were completely focused on Kodachi.

Ringo couldn't believe what she was seeing. Even without getting a look at the taller girl's face, she recognized her unique hair and body type. She'd seen so much of it over the past couple of days that it was impossible not to. "A-...Alysse?" she stammered.

Kodachi remembered her, too. Alysse, that girl she'd seen Ringo with not that long ago. Kodachi didn't immediately go back into attack mode, choosing instead to analyze the blonde girl's stance. Her focus was intense, there was no doubt of that. Just from that and the way Alysse's body was positioned, Kodachi could tell that she was ready to attack at a moment's notice should she be threatened. She definitely wasn't any normal girl.

While the streetlight above them continued to flicker, Kodachi noticed the light reflecting off of something on the ground—something that had come from Alysse's destroyed gym bag. Her curiosity piqued, she took her hand away from her eye and flung her ribbon out in front of her, using it to snap the object back in her direction.

Alysse knew that neither she nor Ringo was the ribbon's target just from the trajectory it had taken, but now, as she watched Kodachi grab that object out of the air, she regretted not stopping her. Looking very concerned all of a sudden, Alysse let the ribbon fall from between her lips.

The object in Kodachi's possession was a large leather belt with metal plates over the front of it. Using her free hand, she traced her fingers over the design that had been engraved into the metal, and the four words that accompanied it. "Extreme...Gymnastics...Federation...Champion."

After reading those words aloud, Kodachi's face lit up. She raised her head and stared directly at Alysse.

"Wh-...what?" Ringo batted her eyes in confusion. Not understanding what was going on, she gingerly got back to her feet, then stepped forward until she was able to look her friend in the face. "Alysse? Why do you...have that?"

Alysse exhaled deeply. She'd kept it from Ringo for so long now. She'd hoped it could stay that way forever. But, after the display of skill she'd just put on and after Kodachi had found _that_ item, there was no way she could keep it hidden any longer.

Left with no choice but to come clean, the blonde girl fixed a sharp glare on the Black Rose of St. Hebereke. "My name," she spoke, "...is Alysse _Priscilla_ Winters! I am the Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion, undefeated in three years of competition! And I swear, Kodachi, I swear on that title, I will NOT let you take Ringo from me!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 24**


	50. QoE: Entwined Roses: Part I

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Priscilla Winters, the undefeated Extreme Gymnastics Federation Champion. She was, according to what Sakura had once said, a lone wolf who competed without a second and held nothing but disdain for the Japanese because of the way they'd treated her growing up. Ringo had never seen her. All she knew about Priscilla was that she would be waiting for Kodachi in the final round of the Queen of Extreme Tournament if Kodachi would have won the match versus Kiriko several days ago.

As such, it was hard for Ringo to believe that Priscilla had just now suddenly appeared before her. Maybe the only thing harder to believe was that she'd been right beside her all along.

"Pri-…Priscilla? You're…Priscilla?"

As a lightning flash lit up the sky in the distance, the storm clouds slowly drawing nearer with every second that passed, a wide-eyed Ringo stared up at her friend, absolutely shocked at what she'd just learned. "That…that can't be true! If Kodachi would have beaten Kiriko, then-"

"She and you would have faced _me_ in the final round," Alysse confirmed for her.

Ringo staggered backwards, shaking her head. "But…why? Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Hearing that tone in Ringo's voice, a tone that spoke almost of betrayal, was enough to make Alysse's heart ache. "I had my reasons, but I want you to know that I never did it to hurt you, Ringo," she assured the girl. "There's a lot we have to talk about, and we'll get to it once this is all over. Right now, though, you need to leave Kodachi to me and get away from here."

While Ringo and Alysse were talking, the mind of one Kodachi Kuno was busy piecing together the puzzle that was now laid out before her. She knew now why she'd felt as though she recognized Alysse from somewhere the last time they'd come across one another. Alysse was the younger sister of Kodachi's mentor, Katrina "Cat Five" Winters. She was the girl that was always glaring at Kodachi from afar while Katrina was teaching her the art of rhythmic gymnastics. She was the one whose real name Kodachi couldn't quite recall up until now. She was the EGF Champion who chose to go by her middle name, Priscilla, while competing. And she was Ringo's friend.

It all made sense. Oh, yes…Kodachi understood it all now.

"Ahahaha…AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! So that is it! So that is how it is!" Kodachi, having deduced her own conclusion, howled with deranged laughter as she threw Alysse's championship belt to the ground and looked toward her. "All this time, the two of you were arranging my loss to Kiriko because _you_ were frightened by the thought of defending your title against me! I see! You are a complete and utter coward!"

"Wh-what? No…no, that's not true, Kodachi!" Ringo adamantly denied the accusation.

"She's telling the truth. Ringo never knew I was the Champion, and it makes me sick that you would even think someone as kind as her would try to sabotage you," Alysse shot an icy look Kodachi's way. "And while we're at it, I can finish off Kiriko in less than a minute, so why would I ever be scared of facing someone that can't even win against _her_? Huh? I'm the best damn gymnast this country has to offer, and you…you're just a mistake that Katrina made—one that I'll gladly fix myself!"

Ringo was speechless. She couldn't believe Alysse had just said those things. It was like throwing gasoline on an already out-of-control fire, and, judging by the way Kodachi's face contorted with rage, it was undoubtedly effective. Sporting the title of Champion and an undefeated record, Alysse had the right to be confident in many situations. But not here, Ringo thought. Not now.

"Alysse, stop! You can't fight with her!" Ringo pleaded with her friend. "This isn't…you don't understand what she-!"

Before Ringo could speak any further, a sudden torrent of wind mixed with black rose petals threatened to knock both she and Alysse off their feet. Beneath the road's lone, flickering streetlight, an incensed Kodachi was twirling her ribbon with its renewed violet glow, causing the constant gale that slammed up against the girls. She had heard enough.

"Ringo…and Alysse," Kodachi fixed a vengeful look on the pair. "You two, for what you have done to me…you shall both pay dearly!"

Alysse threw her arms up to shield her eyes and shifted her weight forward as she tried to keep her balance. Now, for the first time, she began to feel unsettled. She'd never bothered to watch the matches of others, including those of Kodachi. There was simply no need; she didn't believe anyone posed a threat to her. So to see Kodachi, or anyone for that matter, creating such a wind with nothing but a single ribbon wasn't something she'd expected.

"How…how is she doing that?" Alysse wondered aloud as her long hair whipped in the gusts.

While Ringo, too, fought the winds, she could see her fears becoming a reality. As she suspected, Alysse knew nothing about chi energy. She had no idea the extent of what she was up against right now.

Kodachi cackled with delight while watching the girls struggle. "You know, I discovered this power of mine long ago while training with Master one day. She did not appreciate it, though. She claimed it had no place in a rhythmic gymnastics competition, and she made me swear not to use it. So, like a good little girl, I did as she asked, and I became so accustomed to not using it that I forgot all about it," she said, speaking of her days of learning the art with Katrina. "But, thanks to what the two of you did, I was able to remember it all! And since this is no sanctioned competition, I'm sure Master will not take issue with my actions. Then again, even if she did, I would rip you both to pieces regardless."

With a snap of her ribbon, Kodachi created a final, powerful gust that sent both Alysse and the already sore Ringo tumbling back to the pavement. It was only the setup for Kodachi's real attack, though, as she wasted no time spinning her ribbon into a more compact funnel where a mass of her chi energy quickly grew within.

After being knocked over, Alysse rolled twice before regaining her poise atop one knee. The wind before may have been perplexing, but the bright, purple sphere she now saw growing within Kodachi's ribbon was even more so. If Kodachi was using it, she assumed it had to be bad. She just had no idea _how_ bad.

Ringo was slower to right herself after the gust, her body still trying to shake off the effects of the initial blast that sent her flying before Alysse had shown up. She, too, had wound up on one knee, but, seeing that dangerous-looking ball of energy that Kodachi was producing, she knew she couldn't remain that way for long.

"Are you ready?" Kodachi asked with a devilish grin. "This skill is my absolute favorite. The power of its blast holds such beauty, like the explosion of a nova high up in the stars. That is why I have named it as such. So, without further ado, I present to you...my Nova!"

Kodachi, with her attack—her Nova—ready to fire, reached back in preparation to launch the chi sphere. The crazed gymnast's eyes were locked onto Ringo, and Alysse, taking notice of that fact, jumped into protection mode.

"Ringo!" Alysse shouted, reactively whipping her ribbon at the girl. The tool wrapped itself around Ringo's right arm, and Alysse readied to yank her out of harm's way.

At that moment, however, Kodachi's eyes shifted over to Alysse, and the grin on her face widened. Picking her target, she chose to fling her Nova straight at the EGF's Champion.

A sense of panic could be seen in Alysse's eyes. She'd been focused on Ringo to make sure that her ribbon snagged the girl properly, and by the time she'd noticed that Kodachi had targeted her, her weight had already shifted back, directly toward where the Nova was headed. She didn't even have half a second to react. With no means of escape, she merely tossed the handle of her ribbon away so that Ringo wouldn't be drawn any closer.

"Alysse!" Ringo screamed.

The ball of chi energy slammed directly into the left side of Alysse's gut, and, with a violent boom, it exploded.

The nearby walls and pavement cracked from the force of the blast, and Ringo, being as close to it as she was, was blown back into the nearest wall. An eerie silence followed, the only sounds those of bits and pieces of concrete falling to the ground, as well as another rumble of thunder from the approaching storm.

In the midst of the quiet aftermath, Ringo cringed as the pain from impacting the wall ran up and down her back. Very slowly, she began to push herself up, and, as her head began to clear, she immediately looked to the spot where Alysse had been.

Nothing. Alysse was gone.

Frantic, Ringo looked down the road where she believed the blast may have sent the girl. And there, far, far away, barely visible within the darkness of night, she finally spotted her. The Champion...was down. Her body was curled up on its side, and she wasn't moving at all. So strong was the force of the explosion that Alysse's shirt had been ripped right off of her and lay in tatters in the road.

"Ahahahaaah! That was simply wonderful!" Kodachi joyously celebrated the results of her attack. She had dispatched Alysse with just one of her Novas, further amplifying her already soaring confidence. "Such a foolish girl! Does this look like a gymnastics ring to her? Out here, against the likes of me, that championship belt of hers may as well be a paperweight!"

While she lay there staring at her fallen friend, Ringo's mind was largely blank. Those mocking words from Kodachi, however, managed to register. How dare she, Ringo thought? How _dare_ she?

A fire lit under her, Ringo gingerly made her way up to her knees, and then back to her feet.

With one target down, Kodachi now turned her attention back to the other one, which also happened to be her prime target. It was seldom that she'd ever seen Ringo upset, but looking at her right now, even with the limited aid of light, she could see an anger in Ringo's expression the likes of which she'd never seen before. "Ohhhh, what is this? Are you mad?" she taunted her former second. "You brought it on yourselves by plotting against me! Perhaps it was not such a brilliant idea after all, now was it?"

Ringo stayed incredibly still as she continued to glare at Kodachi.

"Oh, but do not worry," Kodachi went on, the streetlight above her flickering off momentarily. "In the end, you will be sharing the same fate as he-"

Suddenly, as the streetlight came back on, Kodachi gasped. Ringo, who had been a fair ways away not even a second earlier, had closed the distance and was now directly in front of her one-time partner. Kodachi tried to pull away at the last instant, but Ringo was simply too fast.

"DON'T…"

Ringo lifted her right leg and spun around, drilling Kodachi on the left portion of her face with a vicious kick. Kodachi felt it, too, as her body began to fall to the side.

"…YOU…"

Planting her feet, Ringo came around from the other direction this time and drove her left fist into Kodachi's gut. The breath driven out of her, Kodachi bent at the waist, groaning in pain as her mouth hung open.

"…HURT…"

Ringo put her foot to work again, raising it straight up and kicking the hunched over gymnast on the underside of her chin so hard that her entire body was knocked up into the air.

"…ALYSSE!"

With the stunned Kodachi right above her, Ringo jumped up into the air, twisted around, and whipped a kick into the other girl's chest. Kodachi went sailing into the metal gate of one of the homes that lined the street, crashing into it with such force that the gate came off its hinges. Both Kodachi and the gate fell to the ground, but while the gate stayed put, Kodachi's body bounced twice before finally coming to stop when she slammed back against the door at the home's entrance. A distant look in her eyes and a sizable crack in the door behind her, Kodachi's head slumped forward. Her body was still, and her voice quieted.

Ringo, huffing and puffing after her emotionally-driven offensive, looked down at the prone Kodachi for a moment, then held her fist up in front of her. She couldn't believe what she'd just done, and not in a good way. She felt terrible. She never wanted to do something like that. She never wanted things to end up this way.

Any further reflection on her actions would have to wait, though. Right now, Ringo's immediate concern was the health of her injured friend. After taking one last look at Kodachi, Ringo hurried off to check on Alysse.

"Alysse! Are you okay?" the redhead cried as she ran up and knelt beside the girl.

To Ringo's dismay, Alysse appeared to be anything but. The blonde gymnast's eyes were open and she was shifting ever so slightly, but she was severely rattled after being struck by Kodachi's chi attack. With her shirt having been torn away by the impact, the black sports bra she wore underneath was all that covered her chest. Her hands were shaking, and she seemed unable to focus on anything around her. Alysse may not have even known where she was at the moment.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Alysse! I'm so sorry I got you involved in this!" Ringo teared up as she cradled the girl's head in her hands. "Okay. Okay, everything's going to be just fine, Alysse. I'm going to get you out of here, so just hang on!"

Unfortunately, before Ringo could even get the chance to lift her friend up, another explosion rocked the darkened road. The stone wall next to the gate of the home that she had just rushed away from had been blown into numerous pieces that were now dropping all over the place.

Ringo had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach regarding the source of that blast, and as the dust cleared and the culprit came into view, her heart began to race once more. Staggering out from the property she'd been knocked into, a woozy Kodachi stepped over what remained of the wall and back out into the street. Looking the worse for wear after the blows dealt to her by Ringo, she spat to the ground some blood that had collected in her mouth. Then, turning her head to look down the road, she set her sights on the one who had caught her off guard.

"You vile, vile girl!" Kodachi angrily snarled at Ringo, starting to advance toward her. After being assaulted as she had, she was no longer in any mood to toy around with her prey. "You were mistaken to not finish me off. I assure you, you will not get a chance like that again!"

Ringo wasn't confident in her fighting abilities by any stretch of the imagination, but still, to see Kodachi walking around again so soon after the hits she'd just taken was astonishing to her. As much as she wanted to just rush Alysse away to safety, there was no way she could outrun Kodachi while carrying the other girl, and she knew it. If she wanted to protect Alysse, she was going to have to play the decoy.

Gently laying her friend's head back down, Ringo stood herself up again. She took a few steps forward, and then, bending at the knees, she sprung high up into the air and landed atop one of the streetlights that Kodachi had knocked out earlier. "Kodachi!" she called out to the approaching gymnast. "I'm the one you want, right?"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," Kodachi replied, practically salivating at the thought of wrapping her ribbon around the girl's throat.

"Well, here I am! Come and get me!" Ringo challenged her old partner.

Kodachi halted her forward progress, pausing for a time to consider her options. A quick glance at Alysse reassured her that the gymnast was in terrible shape, as she should be after taking a direct hit from that Nova before. Ringo's intentions to lure her away were obvious, but Kodachi didn't necessarily mind that since Ringo was the one she wanted most of all. If need be, she could just come back for the other transgressor later.

It was a simple choice to make, and once Kodachi had made it she began twirling her ribbon, which took on that familiar, violet glow. "As you wish," she responded, gladly accepting the challenge. With a furious demeanor, she then whipped her ribbon up at the streetlight.

Ringo jumped from the light just before Kodachi's ribbon sliced through it, and the severed top portion came crashing down into the street. Landing on top of the roof of one of the nearby homes, Ringo watched as Kodachi hopped up onto the stone wall bordering the road and launched herself toward her target. Ringo sprung over to the next rooftop to get away, and then the next. Kodachi followed without hesitation, and the chase was on.

With the wind picking up from the approaching storm and gusting against the front of her body, Ringo darted from rooftop to rooftop like there was no tomorrow. This wasn't only about leading Kodachi away from Alysse; it was also a chance to get her out of the residential area altogether. Ringo didn't want any innocent bystanders to get dragged into this. At this time of the night, with inclement weather nearing, a business-heavy area would likely have fewer people around. That would be the type of destination that Ringo would be aiming for.

Kodachi was thus far able to trail the redhead, but it quickly became apparent that Ringo was the faster one between them. Catching her, she realized, wouldn't be so simple. "So briskly you move! After sparring with you for so long, I really should have remembered such a thing," Kodachi remarked as she sprang forward to the next rooftop. "Do you recall those days, Ringo? Back when you were _pr__e__tending_ to assist me? Back when you were plotting to stab me in the back?"

"You're wrong, Kodachi! I was never pretending!" Ringo defended herself yet again.

"Liar!" Kodachi growled at her. While still in hot pursuit of her ex-partner, she pulled out a black rose and flung it toward her fleeing enemy.

Ringo had most of her focus on what lay straight ahead of her to avoid any missteps, but, luckily for her, she peeked back to ascertain Kodachi's position just in time to see the rose heading her way. Having been warned by Shampoo of the paralysis drug that Kodachi's roses had been soaked in, Ringo knew that she couldn't allow any of them to touch her. She shifted her upper body to the side, watching as the rose whizzed by her left cheek.

There was more where that came from, though. Set on bringing Ringo within attack range, Kodachi continued to chuck roses her way in what was more of an attempt to pressure and distract the girl than to cause damage. Ringo's bread and butter was her agility, after all, so Kodachi had to accept that actually hitting her from this distance wasn't likely.

Kodachi's efforts would prove futile, however, as Ringo was able to dance around the roses with relative ease while not missing a step. Her soreness from earlier was hardly noticeable at the moment, largely wiped out by the rush of adrenaline that came with her brief assault on Kodachi. All things considered, the situation was unfolding well for her. Now it was just a matter of leading Kodachi to a more suitable place to fight, and that goal looked ever more attainable as, surveying the landscape before her, Ringo saw that the line of homes was coming to an end with a large cluster of non-residential streets and buildings awaiting on the other side. She was almost there.

Kodachi wasn't planning on sitting back and letting Ringo lead her wherever she pleased, though. She was tired of this chase. She wanted blood, and she wanted it now. If she couldn't slow Ringo down, she would just have to speed herself up. And, twirling her ribbon off to her right side with that objective in mind, she spun up another Nova within the tool's funnel.

Her eyes drawn to the violet glow behind her, Ringo picked up on Kodachi's impending move. "_She's going to shoot another one of those things at me? From way back there?_" she curiously wondered. It didn't make any sense. Kodachi had to know that there wasn't a great chance of it hitting given Ringo's speed and how far apart they were. If she was just trying to apply more pressure, even tossing roses would be more effective. Dodging multiple smaller attacks was more taxing for Ringo while running than making sure she avoided one large one, after all. So what was the point?

As it turned out, the point was never to shoot the Nova at Ringo in the first place. While coming to the edge of a rooftop, Kodachi jumped up into the air and, at the same time, flung the sphere of chi energy down at the roof. The thunderous blast that followed shattered nearby windows and did a plethora of damage to the affected home, but, more importantly, it also catapulted Kodachi forward at a much greater speed than she'd previously been moving at.

Kodachi was closing in on Ringo fast, and Ringo understood perfectly now the reason behind her ex-partner's actions. Fortunately, with one last jump, Ringo was able to cross over into the business area like she'd been aiming for. There would be no time for celebration, however, as Kodachi, soaring in like a rocket, crossed over as well and suddenly had Ringo within her attack range.

While still airborne, Kodachi whipped her glowing ribbon at Ringo, who had to lean all the way back at a ninety degree angle just to narrowly avoid it. Then, not yet done, Kodachi brought her ribbon back around and aimed for Ringo's legs, but the girl flipped back over the path of the dangerous tool, and, after touching ground again, took another jump back for good measure to get herself to a safer distance.

For the moment, Kodachi halted her advance. There was no longer any need to rush. "No more running for you," the gymnast licked her lips in anticipation.

Kodachi was right. For Ringo, the time for running was over. The area they were in now was lined with clothing shops and small restaurants, among numerous other businesses. There were some lights on here and there, but, for the most part, the buildings appeared to be closed and empty just as Ringo had hoped. Now all that remained for her was the monumental task of actually stopping Kodachi.

Whether Ringo stood a chance of accomplishing that feat or not remained to be seen, but at the very least she was in the exact position she wanted to be in right now. The wind was blowing away from her and toward Kodachi, just the way Ringo needed it to be in order to avoid suffering the same fate as Ranma in regards to Kodachi's paralysis powder.

Kodachi, though, was becoming aware of what Ringo knew through her tactics alone. "Not touching my roses, and now leaving me downwind? Someone is well-informed," she spoke, making known that she was onto her prey. "But, it really is all for naught. You see, I have no intention of using such a shortcut against you as I did with Ranma. That would be no fun at all, now would it? No, no. I want you to struggle until the very end!"

Ringo watched intently as Kodachi rapidly spun up another Nova within her ribbon. She could tell right away that Kodachi was about to come at her with an all-out offensive. "_If I'm going to stop her, I'll have to find the right opening to attack,_" Ringo told herself. Moving in at a less-than-convenient time was simply too dangerous given Kodachi's capabilities. "_I can't be__ careless. Just need to wait for the right moment!_"

And so it began.

Kodachi launched her Nova at Ringo, who nimbly jumped away to avoid the explosion as the chi energy collided with the pavement. The blast caused cracks to open up in the road, and if each nearby window wasn't shattered, there was at least a sizable crack in it. While shards of glass rained down onto the sidewalk, Kodachi took off after Ringo, her ribbon glowing violet and her eyes blazing with malice.

Before Ringo had even set foot on the ground again, Kodachi whipped her ribbon at the girl's chest. Ringo ducked down as far as she could to avoid the swipe, and then, as she landed, she sprung several feet up into the air as Kodachi brought her ribbon back around and aimed it at Ringo's lower body again. While it didn't make contact with its intended target, the ribbon tore through the metal door frame and wall of a closed pastry shop they were next to. Much like how it had sliced clean through the top portion of a streetlight earlier, it was a good indication to Ringo of the power of Kodachi's chi-infused tool. Taking a hit clearly wasn't an option. If the ribbon could cut through steel like butter, a human body certainly wasn't going to fare well against it.

Kodachi pressed forward, Ringo worked her way back, and the ribbon swipes continued. Ringo bobbed, weaved and jumped, avoiding the deadly tool at all costs. Meanwhile, anything the ribbon touched in the process was taking severe damage. The outsides of businesses were being shredded, but it simply couldn't be helped.

"Yes, keep dancing! Let us see how long you can last!" Kodachi shouted, grinning with delight as her ribbon tore through a utility pole.

Unfortunately, that was all Ringo could do for the moment was dance around to avoid the weapon. Kodachi was attacking too quickly for Ringo to do anything but stay on the defensive—for the moment, at least. As Ringo took to the air again, she arched backwards to evade another cut of the ribbon, and the tool wound up slicing through the large, wooden sign above a floral shop. The severed halves of the sign fell toward the ground, and, as fate would have it, spotting them gave the redhead an idea.

"_That's it!_" Ringo thought to herself. Grabbing the large chunks of wood from the air as she flipped around, she flung both of them at Kodachi one after the other.

The projectiles were little more than an annoyance to Kodachi, but she had to deal with them nonetheless. There wasn't even a need to move out of their path. All she had to do was cut them down, and so she did. With two flicks of her ribbon, the pair of wood chunks became a quartet that flopped down into the street. The little bit of offense from Ringo had proven to be harmless, but it had still served its purpose.

Using that distraction to her advantage, Ringo had already sprinted forward and was closing in on Kodachi to strike her directly. By using her ribbon to deal with the sign pieces, Kodachi had allowed Ringo a fraction of a second more to make a move. Kodachi, however, was well aware now that she needed to mind Ringo's speed. The question would be whether or not that fraction of a second was enough time for Ringo to do something.

Ringo neared her old partner, and Kodachi, focused as could be, already had her ribbon zipping toward the girl. Kodachi wasn't backing down, leaving it Ringo's call to make. It would be close. Extremely close. Was the time she needed there, or was she rushing into a grave mistake?

In that split second before it would be determined, Ringo came to a vital conclusion: she wasn't going to be able to pull it off.

Planting her feet against the pavement, Ringo sprung back away from Kodachi, the ribbon clipping the very bottom of her shoe on the way out. She would need more time. That's all there was to it. Time would be a hard thing to find, though, as Kodachi lunged forward and immediately resumed putting the pressure on again with her ribbon.

Ringo was on the defensive once more, right back where she started. "_This is bad__! How am I supposed to find a big enough opening if this keeps up?_" she wondered in the midst of ducking and dodging Kodachi's attacks. "_Come on, Ringo! Think! What would Ranma do?_"

While Ringo was doing some urgent brainstorming, somewhere nearby she began to hear the sound of sirens. She paid it no mind at first, as she had to keep her focus entirely on Kodachi for obvious reasons. The noise, however, grew louder. And louder. And soon, off in the distance behind Kodachi, flashing red lights entered Ringo's view as a police cruiser turned the corner.

"You two! Stop right there! This is the police!" the officer within the car ordered them through his loudspeaker. "I repeat, stop right where you are!"

This was a development that Ringo probably should've expected given the ruckus Kodachi had caused, and one that had her extremely concerned—not for herself and Kodachi, but for the officer. That concern was compounded as, out of the corner of her eye, Kodachi shot the approaching cruiser a menacing glare. The distraction didn't stop the gymnast from pursuing Ringo, but it was the equivalent of an insect buzzing around her head—she could leave it be and put up with the annoyance, or she could deal with it on the spot.

"No! Kodachi, don't!" Ringo pleaded, sensing the girl's bad intentions. Not wanting the officer to get dragged into this, she desperately called out to him. "Turn around! Please! You have to get away from here!"

Unfortunately, the policeman had no intention of running from his duty. "Stop right now!" he repeated his order. "If you do not, I will have to use force! Stop immediately!"

Finally pushed too far, Kodachi temporarily ceased her chase of Ringo and swung her body around to face the police car. "Force? I will show you force," she hissed. Twirling her ribbon out to her side, another Nova grew within the tool's funnel in a hurry.

"Kodachi, stop!" Ringo shrieked. The officer had no idea what he was getting into. But, as much as Ringo wanted to help, there was nothing she could do.

Enraged, Kodachi reached back with her ribbon. "Do not interrupt me EVER AGAIN!" she screamed, and with that, she flung the destructive sphere of her chi energy at the oncoming police car.

Taken by surprise by the strange light, the officer made a last-second attempt to swerve to avoid it. By then, though, it was too late. Kodachi's Nova slammed into the spot between the road and the bottom of the car and exploded, the force of the blast splitting the pavement and sending the vehicle flying over ten feet into the air. The car flipped upside-down, fell back toward the ground and crashed down into the street on its top. Its flashing lights were crushed, its metal frame folded, and its windows shattered. Various gear from within the car lay strewn about the road, and inside, the officer hung by his seat belt, barely conscious after the ride he'd just taken.

The pest was out of the way, but Kodachi wasn't interested in admiring her handiwork. It was time to get back to the important issue of properly dealing with her former second.

Kodachi whirled around and leaned forward, ready to resume her chase of Ringo...only this time there was no need for a chase. Ringo was already right next to her. That opening she was looking for? She'd found it.

With a loud cry, Ringo slugged her fist into Kodachi's gut. The blow shook the Black Rose, who hunched over, mouth agape and gasping for air.

Ringo knew that wasn't enough, though. As much as she hated it, she would have to keep laying into Kodachi if she wanted to stop her for certain. After following through with her first attack, she came around from Kodachi's right side looking to plant a sharp kick against the girl's head. Kodachi should've been feeling the effects of the opening punch enough that there wouldn't be a problem, which made it all the more stunning to Ringo when her kick was abruptly blocked.

Ringo's eyes shot open wide as she saw Kodachi not only staring back at her, but actually smiling, her teeth still stained with blood from earlier. Somehow, even after being rocked by that fist to her abdomen, Kodachi still had the presence of mind to reach up and grab Ringo's leg before the kick could connect. And now, it was time for Kodachi to retaliate.

Throwing Ringo's leg back to the side, Kodachi took her glowing ribbon that she held in the same hand, stepped back for some additional room, and whipped the tool at Ringo's head.

Because of Kodachi tossing her leg, Ringo was left off-balance. She had no means of jumping away from the ribbon. The only thing she could think of was to just throw her weight back and fall down as quickly as possible, and so she did. She saw that purple glow flash right before her eyes, and for a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Was that it? Was she even still alive? She genuinely didn't know.

Ringo must have been alive, though, because she yelped as she felt her body hit the pavement. She had avoided Kodachi's ribbon, but not entirely. As she sit there on the ground, breathing deeply and struggling to comprehend how close of a call it had been, she felt blood running down her cheek and dripping down onto her arm. The edge of the ribbon had put a large gash in her cheek, and Ringo was lucky that was all it had done. Had she moved any slower or hesitated at all, she would have died, and that thought filled her mind and body with terror the likes of which she'd never felt before.

This time, Kodachi _did_ stop to admire what she'd done. Finally, she'd caused some visible damage to the one who had dared to betray her. And, seeing how frightened Ringo looked at this very moment, Kodachi could tell that the damage wasn't just physical. Mentally, it looked as though the fight was already won.

Kodachi, looking elated as she smiled down at the girl, held up her thumb and index fingers a short distance apart. "This close, was it not?" she gloated. "Congratulations. You live to fight on. But…for how long?"

Kodachi began twirling her ribbon to build up yet another Nova, and Ringo, still reeling from her brush with the end, could only blankly stare up at her. Her hands were shaking, and, no matter how much she commanded her legs to move, they just wouldn't do it. She needed time to recover, but there was no way Kodachi would allow it.

Grinning maniacally, Kodachi reached back to unleash her energy sphere upon her trembling prey.

"_Ringo, close your eyes and plug your ears!_"

Out of nowhere, a voice called out to Ringo. And she heard it.

Kodachi heard it, too, and was about to look around for the source when she noticed something hit the ground next to her. It was a small, black object, and it was making an ominous hissing sound. What she didn't realize was that the object was a flash bang grenade that had been acquired from the downed officer's car.

Ringo wasn't aware enough to think for herself just yet. And so, merely adhering to the anonymous command, she closed her eyes and jammed her fingers into her ears. Not even a second later, the grenade went off, emitting a blinding flash of light and a deafening boom.

Kodachi let out a loud shriek. Startled by the noise, she wildly flailed her ribbon outward and sent the Nova flying into the outside of a sporting goods store. The resulting explosion destroyed the business's windows and did plenty of additional damage to the walls and inside of the store, but the real story was the effect it had upon Kodachi.

"What was THAT?" Kodachi angrily shouted. Blinded, she randomly whipped her glowing ribbon around to keep any potential attackers at bay. A matter of seconds passed, and then, gradually, her vision started to return.

Kodachi looked around closely. The police car was there, and the shaken-up officer still inside. Ringo, on the other hand, was no longer in front of her. Kodachi scanned the street up and down, left and right. Her target, however, had vanished. "Where did you go, you traitor?" she growled, slicing through another utility pole out of frustration. "You get out here RIGHT NOOOOOOOOWWWWW!"

Well within hearing range of that impassioned battle cry, Ringo sat back against the inside part of the checkout counter within the sporting goods store that had just been blown open by Kodachi's Nova. And she wasn't alone. She could hear the rough breathing of the one who had saved her just now, and she could feel that individual leaning up against her arm. As she peeked over to her right, Ringo found sitting next to her none other than her injured friend, Alysse.

"A-...Alysse?" Ringo softly spoke the girl's name.

It had taken a while for Alysse to get her wits back about her, but she'd done it, and she quickly went to work tracking down Ringo and Kodachi. Once she'd come upon the scene of the battle, the blonde gymnast found the flash bang grenade near the wreckage of the police car and used it to get Ringo out of harm's way. But now, as she sit propped up partly by the counter and partly by Ringo's arm, something was off about her. Alysse's eyes were almost closed, and her head was starting to droop.

Ringo, her hands still trembling, reached over and shook her friend by the shoulder. "Alysse? Hey...Alysse?"

Alysse's eyes shot open, and, as if startled, she snapped her hand out and grabbed Ringo by the wrist. Once she saw who was with her, however, her look softened, and she allowed herself to relax. So shaken was she from Kodachi's Nova before that she was still drifting in and out of consciousness. Considering the entire left side of her abdomen had turned a distinct shade of red from the force of the direct hit she'd taken, effects such as that weren't surprising. What kind of damage it had done to her ribcage, one could only wonder.

"Alysse, you're hurt. You're hurt so bad," Ringo sobbed as she took in the sight of the gymnast. She couldn't imagine how much it must have hurt for Alysse to even breathe right now, much less move around.

"It's…it's nothing," Alysse pridefully uttered, though the pain in her voice betrayed her words. "At least…you're safe."

Safe for now, maybe. Kodachi was still on the loose, though, and if she couldn't find the one she was after, she was going to hurt more people until she did.

"I...I can't stay here," Ringo reluctantly shook her head, knowing what she had to do. "I have to get back out there before-"

"No! You are NOT going anywhere!" Alysse passionately declared, cringing from the pain in her side again.

"I have to, Alysse," Ringo argued. "If I don't, she'll-"

"Can you beat her?" Alysse promptly interrupted the redhead.

That was one question that Ringo didn't want to be faced with right now. What could she say? After what had just happened out there, what could she really say? "If…if I can just keep her away from everyone else, I can-"

"Can you _beat_ her?" the Champion repeated herself.

There was no talking her way around it. Ringo knew the answer, and, looking up into Alysse's eyes, she gave it. "No."

After taking a deep breath, Alysse slid herself upward along the counter to get more comfortable. She knew just from seeing Ringo frozen before Kodachi just now that Ringo wasn't capable of defeating her on her own. Getting Ringo to admit that was for the best.

"What did she…what was that she hit me with?" Alysse inquired regarding the light that had struck her earlier.

"Huh? O-oh, that was Kodachi's chi energy. She...manipulates her body's energy into her ribbon and uses it to attack," Ringo tried to explain to her. "Ranma can do it, too, but…I've never seen his attacks explode like Kodachi's do. Probably…she's condensing a lot of energy down into a smaller ball, and then it expands outward when it hits something. That could be why it's so destructive."

Alysse already knew she was in unfamiliar territory as far as Kodachi's attacks went, but she was at least glad that she now had a basic idea of what was going on. "Chi…energy, huh? Okay. Okay," she slowly nodded her head, accepting the idea with surprisingly little fuss. It was a strange concept, but there was simply no reason to doubt what Ringo was telling her. She had no incentive to lie in this situation. "How long can she keep doing those things?"

How long? How long, indeed. Ringo paused for a moment while she considered the issue. No matter the person, their pool of chi energy wasn't infinite. Considering the amount of chi-based attacks Kodachi had already used, she'd proven that her pool was likely quite large. But…

"There has to be a limit," Ringo said, her eyes showing a sparkle of hope. "Whenever Ranma used his chi too much, he would get tired. Kodachi's limit could be bigger than his, but…she has to have one. That's it! Alysse, you're the best!"

Ringo had an idea of how to put that knowledge to use, and Alysse did as well. But, at the same time, their ideas differed in one key aspect.

"All right," Alysse grimaced as she tried to move. "You…you stay right here. I'll go...take care of this."

"What? No!" Ringo grabbed Alysse by the arm to hold her down. "Look at you! You're already so badly hurt. This…this isn't your fight, Alysse. Please, just let me handle this, and-"

"No! I won't do that, Ringo!" Alysse adamantly refused to stay behind. "You…I promised I wouldn't let Kodachi hurt you, but…" she started to say, becoming choked up as she raised her hand and brushed it across Ringo's bloodied cheek, "…I already failed, didn't I?"

"Alysse..."

"Why? Why are you trying to shoulder all of this by yourself? Don't you know how much you mean to people? Don't you know how much you mean to _me_?"

Watching Alysse wipe the tears from her eyes, Ringo really did get a sense of how much her friend cared for her. It meant a lot to her, too, enough that it actually brought a smile back to her face. "Thank you, Alysse. But…this all started because of me. I can't run away anymore, I just can't. I need to stop Kodachi, no matter what."

Still drying her eyes, Alysse bit down on her lip as she looked away for a second, then turned back to Ringo. "You're going to fight?" she asked her. "No matter what?"

With a determined look, Ringo nodded her head. "Yes."

Ringo was resolute in her decision, and Alysse knew she couldn't reason with her any further. So, she was going to do the only thing she could do. Reaching over, she clasped Ringo's hand in her own and looked the redhead dead in the eye. "Well, I am, too, because I'm not leaving you," she declared. "No arguing. If there's going to be a fight, then we fight her together. You...and me."

As much as Ringo hated the idea of Alysse putting herself in any further danger, and she REALLY hated it, she could see that Alysse had no intention of listening to any protests. It was so silly that it almost made Ringo want to cry. The two of them would just have to indulge each other's selfish desires, perhaps right to the very end. "All right, Alysse. Let's do it," she relented. "You and me."

And that was that. They would fight Kodachi. Together.

With Ringo's agreement, Alysse now had to consider exactly how to approach their task. In their current shape, they were going to need every bit of help they could get. And, as Alysse surveyed the merchandise of the store they were in, she spotted a thing or two that she believed would suit their needs.

Outside, the lightning flashes had become brighter, the thunder louder, and both more frequent as the incoming thunderstorm drew near.

Kodachi, furious over Ringo's disappearance, continued to whip her ribbon around and slice it into anything she saw fit. "You cannot hide from me, Ringo!" she bellowed as she took out a nearby streetlight, not budging an inch as it crashed down into the street beside her. She'd had enough of playing hide-and-seek with her former second.

"You know what will happen if you do not face me!" Kodachi loudly tossed out a threat to the girl. "How many more must suffer for what you've done? Need I let that Chinese bimbo feel my wrath? Or perhaps the one with the spatula? Answer me, Ringo!"

Just then, Kodachi's ears picked up on a thudding noise behind her. She quickly spun herself around, hoping that the sound was Ringo somehow giving away her position. What she wound up spotting, though, was instead a soccer ball flying straight at her. It wasn't part of a serious attack, as demonstrated by the fact that Kodachi merely had to tilt her head to the side and allow the ball to sail off harmlessly behind her. Rather, it was simply a means to get Kodachi's attention.

The Black Rose of St. Hebereke appeared somewhat surprised now as the one who had kicked the ball stood before her. The one responsible was Alysse, and the soccer ball wasn't the only thing she'd brought with her. The gymnast had several packs from the sporting goods store around her waist, their shoulder straps snugly fit near both sides of her neck. The packs were also further tied down by bungee cords so that they wouldn't hinder her movement so much. What lay inside of them remained a mystery to the Kuno girl.

"So it was _you_ that threw that thing before," Kodachi sneered at her blonde-haired adversary, speaking of the flash bang grenade. "This is quite the oversight. I did not think you were so sturdy that you could be on your feet so soon after being hit by my Nova."

"Or maybe you're just not as strong as you think you are," Alysse retorted, deliberately trying to get under Kodachi's skin. Though she acted tough, her voice still gave away the significant pain she was in. "It makes me sick. No matter how many times I asked, Katrina always refused to train me. And then, she goes and trains someone like you instead. What did you ever do to deserve her attention? Huh? WHAT DID YOU EVER DO?"

Posed with that question, an amused smile formed on Kodachi's lips. "She did not ever tell you why she trained not you, but I? That is so terribly like Master," she coldly chuckled, at the same time starting to twirl her ribbon again. Another dangerous Nova soon grew within. "How unfortunate. It seems you will never know."

Poised to attack, Kodachi flung her ribbon forward and shot the ball of chi energy toward Alysse. No sooner had the violet-colored mass left her ribbon, however, when she was suddenly struck hard in the back of her head by something. Alysse was able to predict the Nova's path well enough to leap out of harm's way as the attack hit the ground and exploded, but, even as Kodachi stumbled and clutched her head, Alysse didn't attempt to take advantage of the situation by mounting an offensive.

Patience was the game here. Recklessness was the one thing that couldn't be afforded.

Hissing and seething as her head throbbed from the blow, it didn't take Kodachi long to spot on the pavement the object that had hit her: a baseball. Whirling her head around, the enraged gymnast found the one who had thrown it standing well behind her. This time, it was Ringo. The redhead was decked out in packs from the sporting goods store just as Alysse was, and, from the looks of it, she'd had enough time to mentally recover from her close call before.

"There you are, you little sneak," Kodachi snarled at her former second. Furious, she spun up yet another Nova within her ribbon. "This resistance is all pointless!"

Kodachi turned herself around and flung the chi sphere at Ringo, but, once again, she was dealt a blow from behind. It was different in this instance, though, as several points of sharp pain flared up in her back and the backside of her upper right arm. Ringo, still physically in reasonable shape, successfully avoided the explosion with her speed as the Nova crashed down into the road near her.

Reeling from whatever had just hit her, Kodachi adjusted her body so that she had at least partial vision of both of her opponents. She didn't yet know what Alysse had thrown her way, but the blonde gymnast was twirling her own ribbon in her hand now—the one gymnastics tool she'd brought with her from the spot where the battle had first begun. Reaching behind herself with her right arm, Kodachi managed to remove three of the objects that had been embedded into her back. They were golf tees, each with a little bit of fresh blood from Kodachi on their sharpened tips. In addition, several red spots were slowly growing on the back of her leotard where the tees had struck.

There were two additional tees stuck in the back of Kodachi's right arm. She momentarily reached her left hand up to try to grab them, but she didn't move it much at all before she stopped, strangely just letting the hand fall back to her side. She was going to leave the tees in her arm for the time being—a questionable decision that didn't escape the notice of Alysse.

Given the difficulty she'd just experienced, Kodachi was finally forced to stop and take stock of the current situation. Ringo was to her left, Alysse to her right. As it was, she couldn't attack them both at once. Standing here, with both of them staying out of range of her ribbon wasn't an option, either. She was going to have to go after one of them, but which? Ringo didn't appear particularly comfortable, but she was still plenty fleet of foot. Alysse, on the other hand, was breathing heavily, and her eyes were struggling to stay open. The girl looked as though she could barely hold herself together.

It was an easy decision to make.

Alysse was glad that things had gone well so far, but she had a feeling she knew what was coming next. As she stood there waiting for her opponent to make a move, Kodachi began to look her way. Then, with a quick push off of her left foot, Kodachi launched herself toward her fellow gymnast.

The Black Rose spun up a Nova within her ribbon right off the bat and whipped it at Alysse to put some pressure on her. Alysse managed to jump back away from the resulting blast, but Kodachi pressed forward and went after her with a fury. She swiped her glowing ribbon over and over, the Champion just barely out of range each time. Alysse wasn't retreating without fighting back, however, as she would toss softballs into the air one at a time and snap them back at Kodachi with her ribbon. They were little more than a minor annoyance to Kodachi, though, who sliced each of them in half as she continued to advance on her target.

Kodachi was gaining ground, and Alysse, falling dangerously close to the maximum range of Kodachi's ribbon despite how much she was pushing her pain-racked body, was left with no choice but to move to the next part of her plan. Digging into one of her packs, she threw two things up into the air—one softball and one sealed plastic container—and used her ribbon to fling both of them Kodachi's way.

Kodachi was experiencing a case of tunnel vision, focusing completely on Alysse and not at all on the objects zipping toward her. She sprang forward, slicing through the softball and then the container as if they were nothing. The cutting of the latter, though, would turn out to be a costly mistake. The plastic container, upon being opened up, showered Kodachi's face, and, particularly, her eyes, with a powdered nutritional supplement, temporarily blinding the vengeful gymnast.

"AAAAAAGGHHH! What IS this?" Kodachi screamed. Rubbing at her eyes at first, she then took to flailing her ribbon around just in case someone was moving in to attack her, just as she had done when the flash bang had gone off earlier.

Alysse, who was now at a more preferred range, and Ringo, who'd been following behind the girls, were playing it safe, though, and they knew just what to do. While Alysse flung another round of softballs, Ringo grabbed several donuts used for baseball training and heaved those, too, at Kodachi. The projectiles pelted the Kuno girl up and down her body, and hit hard they did. One of the donuts would nail Kodachi right in the jaw, jolting her enough to drop her to a knee.

More than causing damage, the attacks seemed to raise Kodachi's ire even further. Irate, she sprung up to her feet again, and, with limited vision, shot a fiery look toward Ringo now. "You little PESTS!"

Her emotions getting the better of her, Kodachi took off after Ringo this time, starting by hurling another Nova, and Alysse, in turn, followed them. Though she was now the target of Kodachi's aggression, Ringo stayed calm and focused as she retreated from her ex-partner, avoiding the sphere of chi energy with relative ease. Much like Alysse had done, Ringo chucked baseballs at Kodachi while continuing to back away, only she did so using her bare hands rather than a ribbon. Kodachi sliced through the first of them, but her impaired vision and impatience prevented her from stopping the next two. One of them smacked her in the shoulder, while the other struck her collarbone. The hits certainly didn't feel good, but so fired up was Kodachi at the moment that she barely paid them any mind.

"I will catch you, and when I do, you will SUFFER!" Kodachi cried out toward the redhead.

Ringo was starting to near Kodachi's ribbon range, but, while she could have increased that distance using her speed, she had something else in mind. Reaching into one of her packs, she pulled out a folded up tent, snapped it outward to unfold it so that it covered more area, and then let it drift Kodachi's way.

Naturally, with the tent itself being no threat, Kodachi easily tore through it with her ribbon. Once the remaining shreds had left her line of sight, though, Kodachi realized that Ringo had vanished. That brief moment where the tent had blocked Kodachi's vision was all the agile Ringo needed to make a swift escape.

The following moments that Kodachi wasted looking around in vain for Ringo would prove meaningful as well. Alysse was well prepared to put that confusion to use, and Kodachi, upon remembering that she had a second opponent, swung herself around just in time to see a golf ball soaring toward her head.

Kodachi snapped the ball away with her ribbon, but, much like the clubs that had struck her upon Alysse's arrival, there were more hidden from view by the first. Kodachi tried to whip her ribbon around again to deal with the next one, but it came in far too fast for that. The golf ball slammed into her nose, and another then smacked her in the forehead. Half a second later, a barrage of six more golf balls hit Kodachi all at once. Most of them struck her in the chest, but one managed to nail her right in the throat, and that one hurt most of all.

Staggering back and falling to a knee again, Kodachi let out a pained groan, and Ringo, formerly hidden from view, dropped back down to the ground well behind her. Again, the duo of Ringo and Alysse played it safe and waited for Kodachi to make a move. There were marks all over Kodachi's body from where she'd been hit by the various sporting goods, and the smaller blows were starting to pile up. Perhaps more noteworthy, though, was the fact that Kodachi was starting to breathe harder now, and it wasn't just a reaction to the golf ball she'd taken to the throat.

It hadn't happened right away. More likely, it was a gradual thing that had taken place throughout the battle. But, finally, it appeared as though the energy Kodachi had been expending was starting to catch up to her.

"_It's...it's working! Alysse and I can reall__y do this_!" Ringo thought to herself with exuberance. The signs of tiring that Kodachi was exhibiting were extremely encouraging. If they kept it up, Ringo and Alysse could really bring this entire mess to an end.

Kodachi, perhaps starting to realize that she was getting nowhere at the moment, had to force herself to calm down. She adjusted her body again, making sure that she could keep an eye on the movements of both of her adversaries. Neither Ringo nor Alysse were attacking. They were just sitting outside of her ribbon's range, the same as they'd been doing all along, and Kodachi was starting to get it now. The pair had no intention of forcing an engagement. They were just going to make her chase them around and waste energy while wearing her down with small bits of offense. Even with Alysse in poor condition, if this kept up, a point could very well come where she and Ringo would be able to bring Kodachi down.

For Kodachi, there was no way she could let it come to that. This called for a change in tactics. And thus, bringing her right arm across her body, she reached into the right sleeve of her leotard with her left hand and began to pull out a second ribbon.

"_Another ribbon?_" Alysse thought, greatly concerned at the sight of the extra tool. "_This is bad! If she can use that weird power with__ two at once…_"

But then, at that moment, something unexpected happened. Kodachi, noticeably cringing, stopped. Looking none too pleased, she then slid the extra ribbon back into her sleeve, opting not to put it to use.

"_She…isn't using it?_" Alysse silently wondered, puzzled by the crazed gymnast's actions. "_Why? She would be so much more capable if she used two at once. There's no reason for her not to. Unless…_"

Now that Alysse thought about it, there was something very consistent about Kodachi throughout this entire battle. Seeing Kodachi opt not to wield dual ribbons just now only further fueled her speculation that there was a good reason for it, too.

"Ringo!" Alysse called out to her friend. Using her hand, she gestured to a building straight ahead from Kodachi, halfway between them, and then used a nearby streetlight to aid her as she leaped up onto the building's roof.

Ringo, understanding that as meaning that Alysse wanted to discuss something, followed suit and met her atop the building. It must have been urgent, and she certainly hoped so, because for Alysse to just make the trip up here likely hurt more than she would ever let on.

With Kodachi looking on from the street below, seemingly content with not breaking up the meeting for now, Alysse raised her hand to block her mouth from view so that her lips couldn't be read. "Ringo," she addressed the girl, speaking softly enough that Kodachi couldn't hear her, "…did something happen to Kodachi's left arm?"

"Her…left arm?" Ringo asked, covering up her own mouth.

"She hasn't used it once this entire time. And when she was about to pull out a second ribbon just now, she looked like she was in pain," Alysse explained. "Do you know anything?"

Ringo gave it some thought. She herself hadn't done anything particularly damaging to Kodachi's arm tonight, and she hadn't seen her since the match against Kiriko. But it was then, as that match came to mind, that Ringo began to recall something. "Ah! That's it! Kiriko!" she said. "During the match, Kiriko hit Kodachi's arm really hard with a big chain. I don't think she used her arm at all after that."

It was almost humorous to Alysse. Kiriko, that brazen, trash-talking gymnast that she'd never cared for, had actually done something that wound up being helpful. "She might have gotten some revenge for what Kodachi did to her after all," Alysse suggested. "Ringo, this is a huge opening. If an opportunity pops up, I might try to do something. If I do, go along with it if you can, but don't put yourself in any danger. Got it?"

"Y-yeah," Ringo replied, though not sure she was liking the sound of it all. "Just be careful, Alysse."

"I always am," Alysse insisted. "Okay, then. Back to the plan."

With that, Alysse and Ringo split up and descended back down onto the road, one off to each side of Kodachi. The younger Kuno sibling hadn't moved at all while her opponents were chatting, and Alysse was glad for that. It had given her the time to communicate a strategy to Ringo that might bring this fight to a quicker end. Even though making Kodachi chase them around and tire herself out was working thus far, Alysse wasn't going to be able to keep it up forever in her current shape, and there was always a danger of Kodachi managing to land a blow that would turn the tide. If Alysse could just find a way to take advantage of that opening on Kodachi's left side, she and Ringo wouldn't have to worry about those uncertainties anymore. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see what move Kodachi would make.

Kodachi, in striking contrast to her behavior up until now, was taking her time, looking back and forth from Alysse to Ringo. What was going through her head, neither of the girls had any clue. They just knew that they had to be on their toes, because whatever happened was likely going to happen fast.

And it did.

In an instant, Kodachi shot off to her left and went straight for Ringo, and Ringo quickly started to back off while Alysse pursued the two of them. Kodachi, likely knowing now that her chances of landing a hit with her Nova weren't great, focused entirely on chasing after Ringo and trying to get within range to attack using her ribbon itself. Whether it be from tiring or maybe from something that had hit her during the attacks from the girls, though, Kodachi was moving slower than before, and that opened the door for Alysse to make a move.

Reaching into one of her bags, Alysse grabbed hold of a certain item inside. It was likely to do the job, but she would have to wait for the right moment to use it. "_This is good,_" she thought. "_If I give it everything I've got, I can get in close to her. Let's do this, Ringo!_"

Ringo could see Alysse starting to close in on Kodachi, meaning that her friend was going to try to put into action what they'd just discussed. With her speed, Ringo could have kept far out of Kodachi's attack range, but doing so would have increased the chances that Kodachi would back off and turn on Alysse instead. What Ringo needed right now was for Kodachi to be focused entirely on her, and for that to happen, she needed to make Kodachi think that she had a chance of catching her.

Gradually slowing down, Ringo purposely fell close to the maximum range of Kodachi's ribbon, and Kodachi, her tool taking on that violet glow, began slashing away just as Ringo predicted she would. Kodachi went into full-on attack mode, swiping her ribbon relentlessly at the girl. She wasn't looking back to check on the one following her at all, and that was exactly what Alysse had been hoping for.

"_That's it! Perfect!_" Alysse silently commended Ringo's efforts.

While Ringo avoided the ribbon slashes by thin margins, Alysse pulled out from her pack the item she'd been holding, an aluminum baseball bat, and moved in on the gymnast. She would have to advance swiftly but quietly, doing everything she could to make sure Kodachi didn't see it coming. One good hit was all it would take. Even if it didn't knock Kodachi out, it would surely allow the opportunity to subdue her afterward.

This was how Alysse worked. There was nothing flashy about her way of competing. She was precise. She was calculating. She was _intelligent_. She could analyze her opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and their capabilities as well, and use that information to pick them apart. She could see every way Kodachi could attack using that ribbon in her right hand, and she knew how much time she would need to get out of the way should Kodachi turn and take a swipe at her. If this chance fell through, she would simply back off and look for another. Countless opponents had crumbled under the mental pressure of dealing with Alysse inside a gymnastics ring, and, even outside of it, Alysse fully intended for Kodachi to experience the same fate.

Yes, this was the style of the undefeated, undisputed Champion of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation.

The chase going strong, Alysse sprung off of a delivery van that was parked in the street for a little speed boost. Then, once her feet touched ground again, Alysse lunged forward with everything she had, putting Kodachi just within range of her bat. The chance was here, and Alysse reached back with the bat off to her left, aiming to drive it straight into the left side of Kodachi's head.

Ringo was watching closely, readying herself to follow up on the attack when, all of a sudden, Alysse slowed down considerably. The bat lowered to her side, and, moments later, it fell from her grasp completely, making a clanging noise as it dropped to the concrete below. Alysse staggered forward for a few steps, then came to a complete stop. Up ahead of her, Kodachi, too, slowed to a halt.

What just happened, Ringo had no idea, but it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

Ceasing her pursuit of Ringo for the time, Kodachi began to twirl her ribbon again, spinning up one of her Novas within. And, as she turned to peek back at a gaping, stunned Alysse, a sinister smile played on her lips. "Your perceptiveness has betrayed you," she spoke, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "My arm was, indeed, unusable for some time. Unfortunately for you, it can at least do this much now."

As Ringo slid to a stop, she saw, thanks to the illumination provided by the street lights, the horrible reality of what had happened. Alysse had blood streaming down her chest where, below her collarbone, a black rose had been flicked back from Kodachi's left hand during the chase. The rose's stem, infused with Kodachi's chi energy, had broken through Alysse's skin with ease and pierced straight through one of her lungs.

"Alysse, NO!" Ringo screamed in horror. With haste, she bolted toward the girl in an effort to help, but she didn't make it in time.

Kodachi whipped her ribbon around at Alysse and struck her dead-on with her Nova. The blast sent the celebrated gymnast soaring through the air until she crashed into the outside wall of a small bakery. Motionless, Alysse then collapsed to the ground amidst the roaring of thunder in the background. For once in her life, she'd been outsmarted, and the consequences were great.

Ringo felt her heart sink as the scene unfolded before her. She needed to go help Alysse, but there was something she had to finish first. Kodachi had her back turned to her, and Ringo was going to take that opportunity to wrap up what Alysse had been trying to do.

Landing next to Kodachi, Ringo swung her right foot at the back of the gymnast's head. Kodachi, however, was ready for it. Her ribbon glowing violet again, Kodachi leaned back, and, looking up as Ringo's foot passed above her, she snapped her ribbon at the exposed limb. She couldn't use the tool to its full potential from such a short distance, but the damage done would be plenty as it sliced clean through Ringo's right Achilles tendon on the back side of her foot.

"EEYAAAAHHHH!" Ringo cried out as the pain hit her. Clutching at her bloodied foot and writhing in agony, she fell to the pavement, helpless.

Ringo had played right into Kodachi's hands. With that one costly mistake, her greatest asset, her agility, was gone.

Kodachi couldn't have been any more pleased with herself as she stared down at her squirming prey. "Well now, I suppose you won't be running away any longer, will you?" she taunted the injured girl.

Even though all she wanted to do was stay still and try to bear through the pain in her foot, Ringo was inwardly screaming at herself to try to move. She was only going to be in danger if she stayed like this. Somehow, some way, she needed to take Alysse and escape.

With tears running down her face from the immense pain she was in, Ringo scrambled over onto her front side and managed to push herself up to her knees. That was as far as she would get, however, as Kodachi abruptly moved in and punted the side of Ringo's head with her foot, knocking her former second into a rough daze that dropped her flat against the street.

"No, no, no. You are going NOWHERE!" Kodachi yelled down at her. "Did you think that you and your little friend were the only ones who could scheme? Apparently not, hmm? I made you two think my arm was useless, and you both fell for it! Now, the question is, what ever shall I _do_ with you?"

Kodachi thoroughly scoured the surrounding area, eventually setting her sights on a women's clothing store that had large windows on either side of its entrance. "Oh, I just had a splendid idea! I believe this shall do for a start," she grinned, her eyes filled with malicious intent. Kodachi wrapped her ribbon around the neck of the still-stunned Ringo and pulled her up off the ground. "Let us see how you feel about _this_!"

Using her ribbon, Kodachi took Ringo and viciously slammed her into one of the clothing store's glass panes. The glass shattered upon impact, slicing away at Ringo's skin before she fell and rolled to a stop on the store's floor.

With shards of glass all around her, Ringo tried to get her bearings, blood running down from cuts all over her face and body. Unfortunately, Kodachi had no intention of letting up, and Ringo could hear the sound of glass crunching as her ex-partner hopped up onto the ledge where the window once stood.

"Oh, now that was FUN, was it not?" Kodachi beamed with deranged exultation. "What say we do that again?"

Ringo could do nothing as Kodachi snagged her throat with the ribbon one more time. After hoisting her up, Kodachi flung Ringo through the glass on the other side of the door this time. The window shattered from the force of Ringo's body hitting it just as easily as the first had, and Ringo, even further bloodied and battered, tumbled back out into the street.

Blood now streaming down her face from several new cuts to her cheek and forehead, Ringo, just out of sheer instinct, wearily tried to claw at the pavement to get away from Kodachi. In her current condition, though, there was little hope, and Kodachi was going to make sure she knew it. Ringo let out another pained cry as Kodachi strolled up to her and stomped down on her outstretched hand, smashing it into the concrete.

With Ringo laying at her feet, Kodachi then reached down and grabbed her by the ponytail, yanking her body upward to get a good look at her face. "What do you think now?" she asked the wounded girl. "Was it worth it? Was it worth it to turn your back on me, you little traitor?"

Ringo could barely think straight, much less speak. All she could manage to utter was the name of the one she was at the mercy of. "Ko…da…chi…"

Disgusted, Kodachi threw Ringo back down and stepped away from her. She wasn't satisfied yet. Not by a long shot. Her ribbon taking on that familiar violet glow, she began to twirl it once more. "I do not think you are sorry for what you've done yet," she insisted. "You will be, though. Oh, you _will be_."

A lightning flash from the imminent storm illuminating the skies around her, Kodachi raised her ribbon high above her head, looking to take out all of her anger and sadness on the one who had caused it.

Then, strangely…nothing. Kodachi tried to bring her ribbon down, but, try as she might, she couldn't move. "Wh-…what is this?"

What Kodachi couldn't see was that, beneath the glow of the streetlights, her shadow was connected to another shadow that began atop the clothing store she'd just wrecked. And on the other end of it, looking down from above with her lavender hair blowing in the increasing wind and her hands folded in front of her in a peculiar manner, was the other shadow's owner, Shampoo.

Finally, backup had arrived.

"Kodachi!" Shampoo shouted down at the Black Rose of St. Hebereke, grabbing the attention of the perplexed gymnast who was caught in her Shadow Bind.

Already assuming that Shampoo was somehow the cause for her paralysis, Kodachi glared furiously up at her unwelcome guest. "You…!"

Shampoo was already incensed over what Kodachi had done to Ranma last night, but seeing Ringo as she was now, a bloody mess as she lay before Kodachi, pushed the Chinese Amazon over the edge. "You want pick fight with Ringo? You want pick fight with Ranma?" she snarled in overflowing anger. "Now Shampoo here pick fight with _you_!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 25**


	51. QoE: Entwined Roses: Part II

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 26**

Flashes of lightning and the roaring of thunder all around, Shampoo had a sharp glare fixed on Kodachi Kuno from the roof of the clothing store she stood upon. The battle outfit she wore—all black with yellow trim—whipped in the wind gusts that came in out ahead of the storm, though much of her blouse was anchored down by the dark-colored breastplate over her chest. She had arrived not a moment too soon, using her Shadow Bind to spare Ringo additional injury that Kodachi had been looking to inflict.

Down on the street below, Kodachi struggled, trying with all her might to fight out of Shampoo's technique. In truth, Shampoo hadn't even wanted to use her Shadow Bind. As furious as she was right now, she would've liked nothing more than to just dive down to the ground and straight-up engage the one who'd hurt Ranma and a handful of others over the past few days. Unfortunately, taking out Kodachi wasn't her only concern; she also had to ensure the safety of the two girls who had taken on the task of combating the gymnast before she'd arrived.

As she surveyed the area, Shampoo could see the spot where Alysse currently lay motionless. At the very least, she was far enough away from Kodachi that she wouldn't be in immediate danger. The same couldn't be said of Ringo, who remained in a rough, bloodied state right at Kodachi's feet.

"Is it not enough that you took my darling Ranma from me, you hussy?" Kodachi snarled up at the unwelcome arrival that was Shampoo. "Do you bear so much spite towards me that you must also interfere with my revenge on this despicable girl?"

Shampoo wanted badly to finish what the others had started, but, in order for her to fight freely, Ringo was going to have to move away from Kodachi. Otherwise, Kodachi would likely have the time to attack Ringo as soon as Shampoo released her Shadow Bind. "Ringo, Shampoo need you get away from that one!" the Amazon girl called out to her restaurant's waitress.

Ringo wasn't all there mentally after the beating she'd taken. She had heard Shampoo, however, and she was able to understand the request. With blood dripping down her face from the cuts she'd received earlier, she reached out and clawed at the pavement, pulling herself along as best she could. Given the shape her body was in, though, it was a slow process. Very slow.

Under normal conditions, the speed at which Ringo was crawling away from Kodachi wouldn't be a concern for Shampoo. On this night, however, there was an enormous problem threatening to rear its ugly head, and Shampoo, with a quick glance toward the sky, could see it coming ever closer. As if the thunder and lightning weren't enough of an indicator, the wind also carried with it the scent of rain, and rain was going to pose a serious issue that was very particular to Shampoo. She'd been in such a rush to save Ringo that she hadn't even thought of bringing an umbrella with her—not that there was any guarantee she'd be able to use it properly while trying to fight Kodachi. In any case, Shampoo had a definite time limit on how long she had to get the job done, and, as Ringo inched her way along the concrete, the clock was ticking.

As she stood there immobilized by Shampoo, watching Ringo gradually move away from her, Kodachi's rage swelled. After all she'd gone through to make Ringo pay for her betrayal, she couldn't take the idea of the girl getting away from her now. She wouldn't accept it. Whether Shampoo or anyone else stood in her way, she was going to teach Ringo a lesson if it was the last thing she ever did.

"You think I will allow you to escape?" Kodachi hissed at her former second.

Her emotions boiling over, Kodachi began to emit a strong battle aura. At first, it simply surrounded her body. But, it didn't stop there.

Shampoo watched closely from above as Kodachi's aura rapidly grew. It began to collect above the gymnast, and soon it took on a form much like what Ranma had described seeing the previous night. The aura had molded into the shape of a human skull wrapped in thorn-covered vines, and, with Kodachi looking to free herself from Shampoo's technique, the skull turned and faced its eerie, empty eye sockets toward the one preventing its master from moving.

Though Shampoo's Shadow Bind could suppress one's body, what it couldn't suppress was their aura. Whether that would turn out to be a problem or not depended on the one the technique was being used on. She'd seen her great-grandmother use her aura to attack without moving her body before, but it required incredible control to pull it off. The question was, did Kodachi, even at her young age, have that level of control?

Shampoo would find that out in a hurry. As Kodachi let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the night, the skull that had formed above her opened its jaw, blaring out a horrific howl of its own that gave voice to all of Kodachi's anger and sadness. Then, incredibly, the skull rocketed outward, straight toward the rooftop where Shampoo stood.

"_Is no way! Kuno girl even can do this?_" Shampoo thought in disbelief.

It was tough for Shampoo to swallow that Kodachi was capable of what she was seeing, but the proof was right before her eyes. With that mass of aura heading for her, she didn't have the time to stand there looking surprised, either. Unless she wanted the aura to collide with her, she was going to have to move. Doing so would also mean having to break her Shadow Bind, but taking a hit from Kodachi's aura would more than likely end with that very result anyway. She had no choice.

With the skull-shaped mass closing in on her, Shampoo purposely released her bind on Kodachi. Then, with great haste, she bent down to pick up the weaponry she'd brought with her before springing high up into the humid night air. Kodachi's aura crashed into the ledge of the roof, taking out a chunk of the top of the building in the process, but what it didn't manage to get was any piece of Shampoo.

Regardless, Kodachi was now free to move her body again, and she immediately set her sights back on Ringo. "Ringo! You come ba-!"

Kodachi had just begun to speak when, suddenly, her battle aura dissipated. A confused look coming over her as she began to feel dizzy, she then stumbled backwards. Kodachi felt as though she'd figuratively hit a wall, and that was essentially the truth of it. Using her aura in that manner had taken a lot out of her, and that, combined with how much energy she had expended fighting Ringo and Alysse, had left her exhausted. "No…" she groaned, looking toward the injured redhead once more. "I must…keep going!"

"KODACHI!"

Her attention drawn to the sound of her name being called from the sky, Kodachi raised her head to look upward. There, from high above, Shampoo was descending toward her, and she was coming in fast. Not wanting Kodachi to go after Ringo, Shampoo had intentionally drawn the vengeful gymnast's focus to herself, and she was ready to deal with whatever came her way. In Shampoo's left hand was a metal shield measuring two feet in diameter. In her right, the very sword she'd been sharpening earlier in the day.

As much as Kodachi wanted to stop Ringo, she couldn't just ignore Shampoo. The girl Ranma had chosen was formidable, that much she knew. Shampoo would need to be dealt with. And thus, twirling her ribbon out to her side, the tool taking on its violet glow once again thanks to its user's remaining chi energy, Kodachi snapped it up at her incoming opponent. "Stay out of my way, you pest!"

Rather than dodging the ribbon, Shampoo held her shield out in front of her, and, as the two objects made contact, a shower of sparks flew outward. The shield, however, remained intact, and Shampoo continued to plummet toward her target with her sword raised and ready to strike.

Kodachi's ribbon had obliterated everything it had touched tonight, so for Shampoo's shield to survive a hit from it was quite unexpected for the Black Rose. And now, with that ominous-looking sword bearing down on her, she was caught in an unenviable position. Even if she tried to maneuver her ribbon to attack again, it would be risky. If Shampoo managed to fend off that strike as well, that sword of hers was going to leave Kodachi in a world of hurt.

Using her better judgment, Kodachi leaped back out of the path of Shampoo's blade before it was too late. Shampoo would land upon the road right where the gymnast had been standing, driving her sword into the concrete as she came down. That small battle would be won by the sword as it ended up leaving a large gash in the pavement where it had struck, and Shampoo quickly sprung back up into a fighting stance.

A brilliant flash of lightning lit the area as Kodachi, her ribbon glowing and ready, and a much fresher Shampoo, both sword and shield prepared to be put to use, directed intense stares at one another.

The wounded Ringo, now with Shampoo between herself and Kodachi, peeked back at the standoff as another droplet of blood dripped down from her chin. "Sham…poo…"

Shampoo could tell from that first feeling of Kodachi's ribbon striking her shield just how dangerous the gymnast's attacks were. Ringo and Alysse had been keeping their distance from Kodachi for good reason while they fought. Regrettably, Shampoo didn't have the luxury of such an option. As she looked to the active sky again, she could see that the leading edge of the lightning-illuminated clouds was drawing uncomfortably near. There was no way she had the time to play it safe and wait for an ideal moment to attack.

The technique Shampoo had been practicing during much of her free time recently, the Speed of Light Fist, would have been perfect in this type of situation where time was so much of the essence. Shampoo had no confidence that she could pull off that move right now, though. Not yet. Even trying to do so would leave her in an incredibly vulnerable position. For now, she would have to do things the way she was more used to doing them: charge in and go all-out.

Without a second to spare, Shampoo bolted forward and went after Kodachi, and the Black Rose, in response, whipped her ribbon straight out ahead of her. "Come and try it!" Kodachi boldly challenged her one-time rival for Ranma's heart.

The ribbon slashed into Shampoo's shield, leaving a visible cut across its center. But, to Kodachi's surprise, the defensive item remained in one piece yet again. It wasn't as though Kodachi was failing to cut through some flimsy piece of metal. Quite the contrary, as Shampoo's shield was incredibly thick and sturdy. However, the same could be said of the utility poles and other solid objects that _had_ been cleaved apart by Kodachi earlier. The difference wasn't necessarily the make-up of Shampoo's shield. Rather, it was more an issue of how much of a punch Kodachi's ribbon was still packing now that she'd been worn down some.

After breaking through the first ribbon slash, Shampoo pushed forward, and Kodachi, unwilling to back off a second time, held her ground. She brought her ribbon back around and snapped it at her approaching adversary again, but Shampoo, closing the distance in a hurry, used her sword this time to deflect the tool, sparks flying once more as the two weapons came together.

Kodachi hadn't imagined that even Shampoo's sword could neutralize her ribbon's attacks now. She didn't have time for another go, either, as Shampoo was right in front of her. With her sword held high, Shampoo swung the deadly weapon downward, and Kodachi quickly weaved to her left to get out of its path. The sword's edge, though, would manage to catch Kodachi's right ear lobe as she moved, drawing a small amount of blood from the dark-haired gymnast—a close-combat blow the likes of which had been rare tonight against someone so dangerous to be near.

That little cut would have been negligible had that been all the damage that was done, but what Kodachi didn't realize was that Shampoo had read her movements perfectly. Shampoo never planted herself after her sword strike, instead following through with her entire body. Because of that, all it took was a quick turn and her left foot was in just the right position to strike. Shampoo thrust her leg out, planting her heel straight into Kodachi's chest with an on-point kick and sending the Kuno girl tumbling backwards.

Kodachi cringed from the shot she'd taken, smacking the pavement hard before rolling back to her feet. She was still reeling from the blow even after she stood up, but she had absolutely no time to recover. Before she knew it, Shampoo was right back after her.

The lightning flashes were almost right above them now, and Shampoo could sense that the rain was going to start falling at any moment. She advanced forth, using her shield to absorb several of Kodachi's ribbon slashes as she moved in. The shield again survived the barrage as Shampoo closed the gap, her sword ready to strike once more. Kodachi was thinking twice about hanging around after that last exchange had gone sour, though, and, as Shampoo came down with another swing of her sword, the Black Rose this time jumped well away from her before the weapon could do any further damage.

Shampoo didn't stop, raising her shield back up as she instantly resumed pursuit of the gymnast, but Kodachi had put some distance between them for a reason. That reason would become apparent as, twirling her ribbon out to her side, Kodachi spun up a quick Nova within the tool's funnel.

"Let us see you block _this_ one!" Kodachi snarled.

Reaching back, Kodachi launched the mass of chi energy at Shampoo. Surely the shield wouldn't save her opponent from one of her Novas, she figured. And true, considering the damage they'd been shown to cause, it likely wouldn't. The only problem? Shampoo had no intention of blocking the attack in the first place.

With the Nova looking to meet her head-on, Shampoo launched herself forward, twisting herself around in mid-air and somehow maneuvering her body underneath the energy ball as it passed by her.

"Wha-!" Kodachi gasped, stunned by the Amazon's skillful evasion.

The Nova struck the road and exploded, and Shampoo, with the blast occurring just behind her, used the force of it to rapidly propel herself toward Kodachi.

Shampoo was unflinching, her eyes locked onto the other girl and her sword raised and ready to do what needed to be done. As fast as Shampoo was coming in this time, Kodachi had almost no time to react. She couldn't counter with an attack of her own. All she could do was try to thwart Shampoo's move.

And so, Kodachi, without even the time to jump away, chose to fall back toward the ground. Shampoo soared in close and swung her weapon down at the vulnerable gymnast. Kodachi, however, would use Shampoo's momentum to her own advantage. Raising her legs up, she caught the blade of Shampoo's sword in-between her feet and flung both weapon and owner off behind her.

Kodachi quickly rolled up to a standing position, and, as Shampoo flipped around and landed, the gymnast snapped her ribbon out toward her adversary. Shampoo dove in again, raising her shield to block the attack. It would turn out to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, however, as this time the shield could take no more. The ribbon split the round hunk of metal in two, its repeated strikes finally doing the object in.

Shampoo wasn't deterred, though. She knew her shield was bound to give out at some point if she fought like this. While a large piece of it fell to the ground, she took the remaining chunk of the shield that she was holding onto and chucked it at Kodachi, who had to use her ribbon to swat it away. This gave Shampoo an opening as she swooped in and took another swing at the girl with her sword. Kodachi ducked to her left, avoiding the strike, but this time around Shampoo planted her foot and came back with a second strike.

Kodachi tried to back away, but the tip of the sword caught her right cheek, cutting it open cleanly. Then, with her other hand now free without the shield, Shampoo followed up immediately by reaching out and grabbing hold of Kodachi's injured left arm. Kodachi cried out as a rush of pain ran through her bruised limb, and Shampoo, looking to give her something more to wail about, yanked the gymnast toward her, jumped up into the air, and smashed both of her feet flat against Kodachi's face.

Kodachi was sent flying by the sudden dropkick, and she hit the ground hard. Breathing heavily, she spat blood from her mouth as she pushed herself up off the road. Kodachi had a frightening look about her as she peeked up and saw Shampoo darting toward her again. She wasn't ready to give in yet, and she let Shampoo know it as she bolted to her feet and snapped her glowing ribbon repeatedly at the other girl.

Sparks rained down into the street as Kodachi's ribbon and Shampoo's sword made contact over and over, Shampoo having to make sure she struck the ribbon just right every time so that it didn't slice through the blade of her weapon. Closing in on Kodachi, though, had become increasingly dangerous for Shampoo without the aid of her shield, and the difficulty of doing so while still trying to defend herself had brought her advance to a temporary halt.

"Ohh, what is the matter? Have you lost your nerve along with your shield?" Kodachi taunted her adversary while their weapons clashed.

The very insistence that Shampoo was apprehensive in the face of Kodachi's offense right now was downright infuriating to the young martial artist. "If really think that, you no can be more wrong!" she shouted back at her.

Shampoo wasn't afraid, she was merely being cautious. She wanted nothing more than to dive right in and go after the deranged gymnast. But, very quickly, that _want_ was about to become a _need_ as Shampoo caught sight of sprinkles of rain beginning to fall around her, one of them landing upon her shirt's sleeve. Her time, she realized, was almost up.

Really feeling the pressure now, Shampoo decided that she had to just go for it. And so, throwing caution to the wind, she pushed forward through the barrage of ribbon slashes, deflecting everything she could with her sword along the way. Shampoo closed in, smacking the ribbon away again, but Kodachi had begun to adapt. She maneuvered the tool to curl around this time, coercing it to come back over to Shampoo's right arm. Shampoo couldn't stop it, and the edge of the ribbon dug through her sleeve and into her skin, carving a path from her forearm all the way up to her shoulder.

Shampoo grit her teeth as the pain shot through her arm. It hurt like hell, but she couldn't stop now. She had to maintain. Kodachi had held her ground to get that hit in, and Shampoo needed to make her pay for it. Gripping her weapon tightly, she swung the blade sharply at the other girl. Kodachi tried to move away despite having stuck around too long, but she could only manage to get so far before the sword sliced through her leotard and into her right shoulder.

"AAAAAHHH!" Kodachi screamed from the sting of the blow.

Shampoo wasn't going to let her off with just that, either. With a ferocity in her eyes, she reached out and grabbed a handful of the front of Kodachi's leotard, pulled her in close, and smashed her forehead into Kodachi's as hard as she could. Shaken up by the headbutt, Kodachi swayed back, and Shampoo, letting go of the girl's clothing, raised her leg up and drove her foot right into the underside of Kodachi's chin.

Kodachi flew through the air, blood now running down from both her shoulder and a cut that had opened up on her forehead. Again she crashed back against the concrete, ending up on one knee as she rolled over. She was still there somehow, but she was seeing stars after the vicious hits she'd just taken. Although Kodachi was holding her own, Shampoo was putting a beating on her. All of the damage she'd accumulated throughout the night was piling up, and, in her condition, there was no telling how much more she could take.

Even with her arm bleeding profusely, Shampoo knew that she had Kodachi on the ropes. The rain was picking up, though. She didn't have much time. "_This bad! Need finish now!_" she frantically told herself.

It was now or never, and Shampoo launched herself at Kodachi with every intention of ending the skirmish in the next exchange. "Is over, Kodachi!"

The Black Rose, on spaghetti legs after getting back to her feet, firmed herself up as she spotted Shampoo closing in. With blood running down along her nose from her forehead, she twirled her glowing ribbon, determined as ever to exact the revenge she'd set out to achieve. "I…I SHALL NOT FALL HERE!" she bellowed into the night.

It was going to be a clash of wills and strength. Kodachi whipped her ribbon forward. Shampoo reached back with her sword. A bright flash of lightning lit the sky, and then…the two weapons collided.

The thunder roared, and the rain, ever increasing, began to pour down upon the Nerima Ward of Tokyo.

In the middle of the downpour, her hair and leotard becoming drenched in a hurry, Kodachi Kuno collapsed to her knees, her breathing heavy and erratic. Behind her, a heavy object made some noise as it fell from the sky above and stuck itself point-first into the pavement.

That object was the severed blade of Shampoo's sword.

Kodachi turned and looked back over her bloodied shoulder. Not far from the broken blade, Shampoo's clothes lay in a heap in the middle of the road. The shirt and breastplate had been cleaved right through by the ribbon, and the hilt portion of Shampoo's sword was also sitting amongst the fabric.

More confused than anything about what had just happened, Kodachi staggered back to her feet. Staring down at the pile of clothing for a moment, she gingerly reached down and snapped up a portion of Shampoo's damaged shirt for a closer look. What would wind up catching her attention wasn't the shirt itself, though. Rather, it was the small animal that was uncovered beneath it.

Her fur soaked by the heavy raindrops falling all around, Shampoo, now in her cat form, met Kodachi's eyes as she stared up at her. Things had gone from hopeful to terrible all in an instant. The storm, which had concerned her ever since she departed from the Cat Café earlier tonight, had gotten the best of her, triggering her Jusenkyo curse just as the weapons of she and Kodachi met. What she was going to do now, she genuinely had no idea.

Kodachi hadn't been expecting a cat to appear beneath Shampoo's clothing, but she didn't seem particularly interested in it, either. Instead of focusing on the furry creature, she surveyed her surroundings for any sign of Shampoo's human form. Of course, the girl with long, lavender-colored hair was nowhere to be seen.

"She stripped her clothing off…and then ran away?" Kodachi surmised regarding what had taken place. "Not only is she a coward, but a pervert as well it would seem."

Assuming that Shampoo had fled, Kodachi tossed aside the scrap of her adversary's shirt that she'd picked up and opted to turn her attention back to her primary target, Ringo.

The Kuno siblings had always had difficulty wrapping their heads around the effects of Jusenkyo curses, and for that Shampoo was fortunate. Had Kodachi known that the cat she was looking at was, in actuality, Shampoo, things likely would have turned out very poorly for the girl from Joketsuzoku. Even now, though, the position Shampoo found herself in was an awful one at best. She was stuck as a cat, and one with its right front leg hurt and bleeding from Kodachi's ribbon slicing up her arm while in her human form. Even though Kodachi had been worn down considerably, she was still far from defenseless. If Shampoo tried to attack her as she was now, Kodachi would almost certainly dispose of her with ease. So what could she do? She needed to help Ringo and Alysse, but what could she possibly do without getting herself killed in the process?

While Shampoo struggled with her dilemma, Ringo was still struggling just to move. The rain doing its part to wash the blood away from her wounds, she had been ever so slowly dragging herself toward Alysse in order to check on her friend and, somehow, try to get the both of them to safety. As Ringo peeked back down the road, however, she was met with a sight that made her freeze up in fear. There, weary but still standing, Kodachi was stumbling back toward the two girls she'd fought earlier. She was in poor shape, that much was clear, but she was still in far better condition than Ringo was at the moment.

"Well now, look who it is. Did you think I had forgotten about you?" Kodachi hissed as she approached the wounded girl.

Falling over onto her backside, Ringo tried to scoot herself in the direction opposite of Alysse. She knew well that she was the one Kodachi wanted most. If she could lead Kodachi even a little further away from Alysse, the better the chances were that the unconscious gymnast wouldn't get caught up in whatever was to happen next.

"What…what happened to Shampoo?" Ringo asked, now having to show concern for yet another of her friends.

"Oh, that hussy?" Kodachi grinned through her rain-soaked lips. "Like the recreant she is, she ran off in fear of my prowess, leaving you and your fellow schemer at my mercy."

Ringo knew that couldn't be the truth. Shampoo, who had courageously put her life on the line to protect Ranma several times before, was no coward. No, given the rainy conditions, Ringo had a fair idea of what had really happened. Even if she was right, however, Shampoo wasn't going to be in any position to help her.

Ringo was truly on her own at the moment. On her own, and, sadly, helpless. She couldn't fight in her condition, especially being on one leg due to her severed Achilles tendon. She couldn't run away on one leg, either, and she wouldn't even consider doing that and leaving Alysse behind anyway. There really wasn't a good choice to make in this situation. In the end, there was only one thing that the girl could think of.

Having gotten as far away from Alysse as she was going to get, Ringo painstakingly began to work her way up to her knees. There was no way she would be able to stand in the shape she was in; this was the best she could hope for. Though it hurt to move, she would eventually make it, and once she finally did she faced Kodachi head-on and raised her arms out to either side. "Here. This is...what you want, isn't it?" Ringo uttered, cringing from the agony racking her body.

Unsure what to make of Ringo's actions, the pleased look faded from Kodachi's face.

"If this...if this is what it takes to get you to stop this, to stop hurting people and just go back to being the way you used to be," Ringo became choked up as she spoke, "…then go ahead, Kodachi. Do what you have to do."

Kodachi cocked her head as she sized up the girl. "You would stop resisting and offer yourself up to me just so that I cease with all of this?"

Ringo was in such poor condition that she could barely stay upright, but she didn't back down from her words.

Seeing that unwavering look in Ringo's eyes, Kodachi sneered at her in disgust. "Very well."

Plenty willing to give Ringo what she wanted, Kodachi tossed her ribbon aside, and then, reaching into the left sleeve of her leotard, she pulled out a different ribbon. As she unraveled the new weapon, the difference in the tools became clear. This new one was _much_ longer than the first.

Kodachi raised her arm up and began to twirl the ribbon above her head, where, aided by the increased size of the funnel, a massive Nova began to grow within. "Everything I have left," she said with a fiery look in her eyes, "…I shall unleash it _all_ upon you for what you have done to me!"

The scorned gymnast wasn't kidding. She poured every bit of her remaining chi energy into the Nova, which was already growing to a considerably larger size than her previous ones. So powerful was the mass of energy that the rain falling from above began to wrap around it as it grew.

Even as she watched Kodachi's Nova build, Ringo had no regrets about what she was doing. Others wouldn't like it, but it was her choice to make, and this is what she'd chosen. "_Alysse, R__anma, Shampoo, everyone…I'm sorry,_" she silently apologized to her friends. "_It's my fault she became like this. This is all I can do for her!_"

Soon, Kodachi could muster not a morsel more of her chi energy, and at that point her ultimate Nova was finished. Spanning a good portion of the road she stood upon, the attack was at least five times as large as any of her other Novas. And now Kodachi, with lightning crackling in the skies above, fixed a rage-filled glare on her former second. "Repent for what you've done, Ringo!"

Even after all that had happened, Ringo didn't hate Kodachi for what she'd done, or for what she was about to do. Her tears mixing in with the raindrops running down her face, Ringo simply looked back toward the Kuno girl, the one she'd come to enjoy being around until their camaraderie had taken such an abrupt, awful turn for the worse, and offered one last request. "Don't let your hatred control you, Kodachi."

That wasn't what Kodachi wanted to hear. The plea only incensing her further, she brought her ribbon down and unleashed her strongest of attacks.

The gigantic Nova struck, and it exploded in grand fashion. Absolutely everything in the immediate area shook from the force of the blast, which created a huge crater in the road. Shards of glass spilled out everywhere from light bulbs and windows that had shattered, and cracks spread along the nearby sidewalks and buildings without exception.

And there, high above the road. Ringo's body flew through the falling rain. Having been thrown into the air by the blast, her clothes barely hung off of her, shredded by the Nova's impact. Even the binding on her hair had broken, allowing her soaked, red locks to flow freely.

When Ringo finally came back down, it was upon the roof of a three-story bookstore. She initially landed on a skylight that looked down into the building, cracks spreading throughout the glass as her body struck, and then kept on rolling until she bumped into the roof's ledge, silent, and still.

In the aftermath of the immense blast, the sound of a pair of feet touching down upon that roof was hardly audible amongst the roar of the ongoing storm. Those feet belonged to a wobbly, weak Kodachi, who had nothing left as she stood there for a moment, just taking in the sight of the end result of her final attack.

Gasping for air and limbs burning with fatigue, Kodachi allowed the handle of her ribbon to fall from her hand. Then, as well as her exhausted body could manage, she dragged her feet along the rooftop as she proceeded over to the spot where Ringo lay.

"Do not...let my hatred control me?" Kodachi repeated Ringo's words, which, to her, were nothing short of audacious. "And just who do you think was the CAUSE of my hatred?"

Her rain-soaked hair clinging to her skin, Kodachi came to a stop as she stepped up next to Ringo. Reaching down, she grabbed hold of the girl's torn shirt with her right hand and, with some extra effort from her tired arm, she pulled Ringo up to get a good look at her.

Ringo, out cold but still breathing, looked awful. Blood was being washed away from the numerous cuts all over her by the falling rain, much of it from the nasty gash on the back of her foot. Her hair was a sopping wet mess, and her clothes were ravaged beyond further use. And yet, as bad as she looked, it wasn't as bad as she perhaps _should_ have looked.

Kodachi's hand shook as she grasped what remained of the girl's clothing. Her eyes stung with tears, and she couldn't stop herself from sniffling. She didn't understand why she'd done it. With her ultimate Nova ready and guaranteed to crush her vulnerable target, she'd lowered the trajectory of the attack at the last instant. Because of that, the Nova had struck the road first and not Ringo, preventing the explosion of chi energy from unleashing its full fury on the girl.

"Why?" Kodachi whimpered, her heart feeling as though it were being tugged in different directions.

Even though it had only been a matter of days, it felt as if the only image of Ringo that Kodachi could remember for the longest time was that of the girl looking back at her with those cold, emotionless eyes as she walked out of Kolhotz High's gymnasium during the match over the weekend. But now, as Kodachi looked upon Ringo's face, oddly peaceful-looking despite what the redhead had been through, she began to recall other memories.

Kodachi remembered when she had first approached Ringo after encountering Kiriko in the park on that one fateful day. Surprisingly, the first words out of Ringo's mouth had expressed her concern over Kodachi's wounded eye. It hadn't even been an entire month since that day, yet it felt like so long ago now.

She remembered how Ringo had helped her wash her hair after their first training session together had left Kodachi, her body frail and out of shape from months of inactivity, without even the strength to raise her arms up to her head. She remembered how Ringo had cared for her after the match against Sakura had left her so sore that she couldn't so much as move around on her own. And, most recently, she remembered the night before the match with Kiriko. She and Ringo had clasped their hands together, promising to give it everything they had the next day and walk out the victors. Not just Kodachi, but Kodachi _and_ Ringo. Together. As a team.

As she stood there in the pouring rain, Kodachi couldn't understand what it was she was feeling right now. "Why?" the torn gymnast choked out that word again. "Why, even after all you have done to me…why do I hesitate so?"

Kodachi, her lips quivering, slowly started to ease her grip on Ringo's shirt.

"Why…?"

Suddenly, another brilliant flash lit the sky as a bolt of lightning reached ground not even a mile from the site of the battle. And, using that moment to her advantage, a small but swift Shampoo leaped over from the ledge of the building's roof and sank her feline teeth into Kodachi's hand.

"AAAGH!" Kodachi screamed, the pain causing her to release Ringo from her grasp. Ringo's body fell flat against the roof again, and Kodachi, angered over the cat's bite, flung Shampoo off to the side. "You little-!"

Between the powerful storm, Shampoo, and her own fatigue, there were many things distracting Kodachi at that moment—so many, in fact, that she never noticed the coils of a golden-colored ribbon surrounding her until it was too late.

"What?" Kodachi gasped.

The ribbon wrapped itself tightly around Kodachi's body, completely binding her arms and legs. She was then yanked backwards, right off of her feet.

Facing the sky as she was pulled back, Kodachi saw a ragged figure enter the view above her—long, blonde hair dripping with water, sports bra barely intact, and a black rose still protruding from her chest. It was Alysse Winters, Champion of the Extreme Gymnastics Federation.

Moving her broken body through sheer willpower, Alysse positioned herself directly above Kodachi, and, with a cry as loud as the thunder roaring all around her, she drove her feet straight down into the Kuno girl's chest. Below Kodachi, the bookstore's skylight, already cracked from Ringo hitting it before, shattered entirely as the gymnast went crashing down through it and disappeared into the darkness.

As soon as Alysse's feet touched back down on the rooftop, her knees buckled, and, already well past her limit, she collapsed beside her precious friend. "Rin…go…" she voiced the girl's name. Her hand trembling, she brought it over and cupped Ringo's wet, bloodied cheek.

"No one…will take you away from me," Alysse, her eyes closing, declared in a faint whisper. "No…one..."

Alysse became quiet now. Overwhelmed by her injuries, she had once again lost consciousness.

With both Alysse and Ringo down and out, Shampoo, still nursing a badly cut front leg in her cat form, gingerly pawed her way over to the spot where the skylight had once been and peered down into the darkened bookstore. The building was set up so that the skylight would shine down onto all three floors through a large opening in the upper two. Because of this, Kodachi had fallen not just onto the top floor, but all the way down to the bottom floor, bound by Alysse's ribbon and too worn down to do much to ease her landing.

Another flash of lightning provided the store some illumination, and thanks to that Shampoo was able to see just what had become of the Black Rose of St. Hebereke. Still with the golden ribbon wrapped around her, Kodachi lay with her back flat against the lowest floor of the building, a tiny pool of blood accumulating around the back of her head.

Kodachi's eyes were still creaked open, but there was no sign of alertness in them. She, like Ringo and Alysse, was out, and Shampoo could tell there wouldn't be any more surprises out of her tonight. At last, the fight was over.

Off in the distance, Shampoo could hear the sound of police sirens growing louder. She would have some company soon, and that was a relief, because Ringo and Alysse needed medical attention as soon as they could possibly get it.

While she waited for the authorities to arrive, Shampoo hobbled over to the girls to keep an eye on them. She wouldn't bother to check on Kodachi again, feeling the police would be plenty capable of dealing with the gymnast at this point. If she _had_ taken another peek down into that hole, however, she would have seen that the only things there on the bookstore's floor were some rain water, shards of glass, and the blood that Kodachi had spilled.

Kodachi herself, though...had vanished.

* * *

While police swarmed the site of the battle, far away from that area and growing further by the second, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard splashing in the rain. Those footsteps belonged to none other than Sasuke Sarugakure, who was panting as he ran, carrying in his arms the limp body of Kodachi Kuno.

"As guardian of the Kuno estate, I will protect you, Mistress Kodachi!" Sasuke declared, unwavering in his loyalty to the daughter of the Kuno family. "No matter the case, I will _not_ let them take you!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 26**


	52. QoE: Foreboding

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 27**

The coming of a new day in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo brought with it plenty of welcome warmth and sunshine. After a wild, stormy night, kids headed out for their classes for the day and adults shuffled off to their jobs, many still unaware of what had transpired in the hours before.

Crews went to work early cleaning up the mess left behind after the previous night's battle, the total damage of which was astounding to those directing the efforts. As many windows as were broken, some local glass makers were sure to get a healthy helping of business out of it. Likewise, there was a lot of pavement and numerous streetlights, among other things, that would require repairs in the coming days and weeks.

Cleanup efforts were still in full swing as midday rolled around, at which time, a good ways away, the summer sun was shining in through the window of a particular hospital room. Inside that room, a teenage girl, her red hair unbound and spread out across her pillow, lay asleep in one of the facility's beds after already slumbering the morning away. At the girl's bedside, a tired-looking boy with a pigtail, unable to contain his boredom, let out a loud yawn. The boy's girlfriend who sat beside him was more patient as she waited for their mutual friend to awaken.

In time, with the sound of cicadas singing and birds chirping away outside, the girl in the bed began to stir. The fingers on her left hand moved little by little, and soon her eyes started to open ever so slightly.

"Yo, look who's finally up," came a greeting from the boy who'd been watching over her. "Jeez, Ringo, ya slept all the way into the afternoon. Had us worryin' there."

Recognizing the voice, Ringo Saotome, still hazy from her long sleep, faced over to her left. "Ran…ma? Shampoo?" she weakly uttered the names of the two she noticed sitting at her side. "Where…am I?"

"Is hospital," Shampoo told her. "How Ringo feel?"

Seeking an accurate answer to that question, Ringo attempted to move her bandage-covered body. The feeling of her muscles crying out in pain would put a quick stop to that, however. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Umm…not good."

"That ain't no surprise. You're bruised and cut all over the place. Some of the cuts were deep enough that they needed stitches, too," Ranma informed her. "Oh, and I kinda hate to be the one to tell ya this, but the doctors said you're gonna need surgery to fix up the tendon in your foot. After that, it sounds like you'll have to be on crutches for a while. Ain't no way around it, though. Ya can't even walk with your foot all messed up like that."

As groggy as Ringo was, it took her a little extra time to process what she was being told. Her tendon needed surgery? Just what had happened to it in the first place?

It didn't take Ringo long to piece it together. A distinct memory quickly came to mind—one where a ribbon had slashed though the back of her foot, followed by her lying on the ground, wallowing in agony. And with that memory came a reminder of the one who had done it all to her. "Ko-…Kodachi!" Ringo's voice shook, the mental image of the gymnast seeming to render her fully awake. "What…what happened to her?"

There was no panic in Shampoo's expression as Ringo looked to her for answers, nor would her response cause any panic for the wounded redhead. "Kuno girl defeated last night," Shampoo said to her.

Upon hearing those words, Ringo eased back into her pillow, surprised, but relieved. Her memories of last night were still fuzzy, only bits and pieces coming back to her for the moment, but the strength Kodachi had displayed was unforgettable. "_Kodachi…lost?_" she thought, having difficulty just wrapping her head around the idea. "_She…was really stopped, huh? __Kodachi…_"

Ringo's mind was still trying to process that knowledge when her eyes suddenly picked up on something, that being the state of Shampoo's right arm. The Amazon girl's limb was heavily taped, from her forearm all the way up past the point where vision of it was cut off by the short sleeve of her blouse. "Shampoo…your arm…"

"Ahh, is nothing," Shampoo brushed off the injury. Reaching over, she rubbed her left hand over the tape, wincing a bit as she did so. "It hurt now, but arm heal fast, then it be good as new."

Even though Shampoo had admitted that her arm hurt, Ringo couldn't help but feel just from looking at her that it might be hurting worse than she was letting on. And seeing that injury, it then occurred to Ringo that Shampoo wasn't the only other one present who'd been hurt in this whole ordeal. "Ranma," she said, her eyes drifting over to her former male half, "…you got attacked, too, right? Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, Kodachi's paralysis stuff had mostly worn off by this morning," Ranma explained, nonchalant as could be about it all. "I'm feelin' pretty good now, actually. 'Cept my pride hurts a little. I feel dumb for not expectin' that junk outta Kodachi."

Sensing an opportunity to have some fun with her beau, Shampoo gave Ranma a light pat on the shoulder. "No worry, is okay if Ranma lose," she consoled him in jest. "Shampoo always be there to save day."

Ranma, irked by the comment, wasn't about to let that one go. Folding his arms across his chest, he directed a sly smirk Shampoo's way. "Unless it's rainin', right?" he retorted.

Abruptly reminded of last night's debacle that had ended with her transforming into a cat, Shampoo's eye twitched with annoyance. "Ranma shut up," she growled.

Seeing the banter between her friends brought Ringo a bit of much-needed amusement after all she'd been through. "You guys are funny," she giggled, showing a smile for the first time today. "I remember now. I thought you might have changed into a cat because of the rain, but you must have come back and beat Kodachi. Huh, Shampoo?"

As much as Shampoo would have liked to take credit for the crazed gymnast's ultimate defeat, she had to shake her head in response. "It no was Shampoo," she insisted, pointing toward the other side of the bed.

Not understanding what Shampoo was getting at, Ringo slowly turned her head and looked over to her right side. As she would learn, there was a third individual that had been there looking after her. Seated beside the bed, her head resting on the mattress and her hand clasped over Ringo's, was a sleeping Alysse Winters.

Dressed in a hospital gown just as Ringo was, Alysse had a tube running into her nose that was hooked up to a ventilator. After suffering a punctured lung from one of Kodachi's roses last night, the assistance in breathing would be helpful until the lung was fully operational again. Breathing wouldn't be the most pleasant of actions for Alysse at the moment, though, as she'd also suffered 13 broken ribs from the pair of Novas she'd been hit with.

"A-…Alysse?" Ringo spoke the girl's name softly as she took in the sight of the injured blonde.

"Even though must have hurt very bad to move, Alysse finish Kodachi off when Shampoo no could because stuck as cat," Shampoo revealed to her restaurant's waitress. "That girl very tough. Doctor tell her many time to lay down, but she still no leave Ringo side."

Looking upon her taller friend with a certain fondness, Ringo gave the girl's hand a gentle squeeze. Alysse…was amazing, Ringo thought. She really was. It was surprising enough that she was able to get up after being hit once by Kodachi's chi blast, but to know that she got up yet again after the second one was mind-boggling. It must have taken incredible heart for her to be able to push herself that far.

"Guess that's what ya call a champion's spirit, huh?" Ranma said, leaning back in his chair.

That word, "champion," striking a chord with her, Ringo turned back over to face Ranma again. "She…told you about who she is?"

An affirming nod from Shampoo confirmed that Alysse had, indeed, done so. "Shampoo feel silly for no see it until now," she said.

"No kiddin'," Ranma snorted, sharing in that sentiment. "I thought her soccer story was kinda off that one day she came to the restaurant all beat up, but I never thought she was that Priscilla girl me and Shampoo saw at the gymnastics thing. Guess she had her reasons for not tellin' us."

Ringo knew that to be the truth; Alysse had said as much last night. She wasn't sure yet what Alysse's reasons were, but she had a feeling they'd be discussing that very subject soon enough.

While most of the missing pieces regarding last night had been filled in, there was still one thing in particular that was nagging at Ringo. "So," she began, a look of concern coming over her, "…Kodachi…umm…where is she?"

To Ringo's surprise, Ranma first answered that question with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "Hate to say it, but no one knows," he told her. "The police are lookin' everywhere, but they ain't found her yet. They're pretty ticked off, too, 'cause she hurt one of their officers last night."

"Wh-what? She's…missing?" Ringo blinked.

"Shampoo see Kuno girl lay there where she fall, but police no find her when they check," Shampoo went into further detail, clearly frustrated that the dangerous girl had somehow gotten away. "Is strange. No think she have strength to run away after that."

"Nothin' would surprise me about Kodachi anymore," Ranma sighed. "She might be loony, but she's got some serious skill. I totally underestimated her."

Ringo wasn't sure what to make of the news that Kodachi's whereabouts were unknown, but it was something she would have to bear in mind, that much was certain. "_So she's...still out there…_" she thought.

"Ringo," Shampoo got the girl's attention again. Though she wasn't sure how Ringo would react, there was something she felt the redhead deserved to know. "Last night, after Kodachi use big chi attack…she start to cry, and no could hurt you anymore."

"She…she _what_?" Ringo gasped, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Is truth," Shampoo assured her. "No know what it mean, but is what happen."

Ringo couldn't believe it. After everything Kodachi had said and done, she'd hesitated in the end? Trying to understand what was going through Kodachi's mind was generally an exercise in futility, but knowing that something like this had happened certainly left Ringo to wonder. "Kodachi…"

"_Mmnnn…_"

Hearing a soft moan coming from further down her bed all of a sudden, Ringo turned to her other side to see that Alysse was beginning to awaken.

Her eyes fluttering open, Alysse groggily shifted her gaze to Ringo's face, and, seeing that the girl was finally up, she flashed her a tender smile. "Morning."

That kind expression allowing her to feel at ease just as it always did, Ringo happily returned the smile. "Morning. Even though it's the afternoon already," she chuckled.

Somehow, seeing that look that Ringo and Alysse were now sharing, something clicked within Ranma's mind. There were certain people that he felt were unneeded here at the moment, and he was one of them.

"M-Man, I'm kinda thirsty," Ranma declared, rising from his chair. "I'm gonna go get a drink. You comin', Shampoo?"

Shampoo was caught off guard by the suddenness of the invite at first, as evidenced by the way she batted her eyes up at Ranma in confusion. Once her pigtailed beau gestured toward the door, however, Shampoo finally understood his intentions. "Ahh, that sound good. Shampoo thirsty, too," she agreed, briefly turning back toward Ringo. "We be back in little bit."

"Hmm? Oh, okay," Ringo replied, not seeming to think much of it despite how quickly it had all come about.

With that, Ranma and Shampoo took their leave as they stepped out of the room, making sure to close the door behind them.

"Ranma do good job of read atmosphere," Shampoo complimented her man on his perceptiveness.

"Yeah, well, I figure they got some stuff to talk about," Ranma said, interlocking his hands behind his head as he strolled down the hallway. "It's a pain, but we'll have to keep an eye on 'em since Kodachi's still out there. Ain't gonna be good if she comes lookin' for them again."

"That true," Shampoo concurred. In a way, she felt guilty that Kodachi was still on the loose. She was so certain that Kodachi was out last night that she'd taken her eyes off of her, and that had proven to be costly. She wasn't sure she would ever understand how the gymnast had found the strength to flee after falling as she had, though. It simply made no sense to her.

While the two of them walked along, Ranma found it hard to keep his focus off of Shampoo's taped-up right arm. He'd seen the pain in her eyes every time she so much as moved the arm wrong, and it had been eating away at him. "Hey," he stopped momentarily, looking apologetic as Shampoo faced him. "If you need me to do anything while your arm is healin', just tell me. 'Kay?"

Shampoo certainly appreciated the offer, but, seeing that expression Ranma was wearing, she knew there was more behind it all than just kindness. "Ranma, is no your fault this happen to Shampoo arm," she assured him.

Even though Shampoo had said that, Ranma found it debatable. In his mind, if he'd seen the paralysis powder as a possibility while fighting Kodachi, he could've beaten her and brought all of this to an end before Shampoo had ever needed to get dragged into it. "Whether it's my fault or not," he said, averting his eyes from the girl, "...I still hate seein' ya get hurt."

Shampoo couldn't help but smile after hearing that. Even though she'd pounded it into Ranma's head that she was a martial artist, too, and that she was prepared for things like this to happen, she couldn't fault him for caring about her.

Stepping up next to the pigtailed boy, Shampoo placed her left hand over his hip and gently buried her forehead into his chest. "Silly Ranma."

Ranma put his hand over the back of Shampoo's head, and the two of them shared a brief embrace. In all of the commotion today, from talking to law enforcement and Alysse to looking after Ringo, they hadn't gotten the chance to do anything like this. It was needed, though, for both of them. Silently, Ranma was able to let Shampoo know that he was glad she was okay, and, likewise, Shampoo was able to let Ranma know that she was relieved she had made it back to him.

Once she'd gotten her fill, Shampoo slowly pulled herself away. "While we at hospital, Ranma want get looked at?" she asked him.

"Huh?" Ranma gave her a quizzical look. "I just told Ringo I was fine. There ain't no need for it."

Shampoo had thought that Ranma was only putting up a front while talking to Ringo before, but apparently he wasn't dropping it just yet. "Ranma see what Kuno girl's chi attack do to Alysse. There no way you is fine," she pointed out.

"Look, I know what happened to her, but I'm tellin' ya, I'm okay," Ranma insisted.

And here it was, Shampoo thought; Ranma's stubbornness. Intent on proving that she was right, Shampoo took her left hand and jammed her index finger into Ranma's ribs—one of the areas prominently struck by Kodachi's Nova during the gymnast's assault two days ago. Shampoo was certain that Ranma would double over in pain just from that single poke. Surprisingly, however, he merely continued to stare down at her, appearing completely unaffected.

Raising an eyebrow, Shampoo poked Ranma again in another spot close by. The result, though, would be the same. "Where chi hit you?" she finally asked, dumbfounded by the boy's lack of a reaction.

"Umm…like, my entire chest?" Ranma answered, playing along for the time being.

Oddly determined to break Ranma's cool, Shampoo rapidly poked him in various spots all over his upper torso. It was all for naught, though. If Ranma was hurting, he wasn't showing it.

"Still don't hurt," Ranma said, somewhat amused by the whole thing.

That was all Shampoo could take. Rather than poking at Ranma, she balled up her entire fist and drove it into the boy's sternum.

"Augh!" Ranma groaned at last, grabbing at the affected area. Unfortunately, it really didn't serve to prove Shampoo's point. "That'd hurt no matter what!" he growled.

Shampoo knew he was right, of course. She just couldn't believe what was going on. At the very least, Ranma should have had some broken ribs from the direct impact of Kodachi's Nova. And yet, he seemed to be perfectly fine. It just didn't add up, and because of that, Shampoo was starting to become concerned.

Feeling compelled to check up on something, Shampoo moved closer and grabbed the jade necklace that sat around Ranma's neck.

"Whoa! What're you doin' now?" Ranma asked her.

Shampoo walked all the way around him, inspecting each and every segment on that necklace that was used to keep the spirits from Yanlou within his body at bay. In the end, it didn't appear to be damaged, which was good. But, it also left Shampoo with no answer as to what was happening with her love interest.

"Seriously, what's with you?" Ranma inquired, starting to show some irritation now.

"Ranma still should be hurt. Shampoo no understand," the Amazon girl replied, a tone of worry in her voice.

"What? Jeez, you're makin' a big deal outta nothin'. I've always been a quick healer," Ranma claimed, starting to proceed down the hall again. "C'mon, let's go already. I wasn't kiddin' about gettin' a drink. I seriously need one after sittin' in that room for so long."

Ranma walked off as carefree and seemingly as healthy as ever, but his words hadn't quelled Shampoo's concerns. She still believed that something wasn't right, but what exactly that something was, she hadn't a clue.

Meanwhile, back in Ringo's hospital room, Alysse was grimacing just from the act of trying to sit up in her chair.

"A-Are you okay?" Ringo asked, although she knew the girl surely wasn't.

"Don't…don't worry about it," Alysse answered through her clenched teeth. Finally, she was able to lean back in her seat. "A punctured lung…and some broken ribs…aren't enough to keep me down."

While Alysse took some time to allow the pain in her chest to subside, Ringo, a sadness in her eyes, had to look away.

Alysse soon noticed that Ringo was avoiding eye contact, and she had her own assumptions as to why the redhead was doing so. "I guess…I have some explaining to do," she spoke. She wasn't sure how Ringo would react to what she was going to say, but she was hopeful that there would be some forgiveness in the girl's heart.

"I'm so sorry, Ringo. I should have told you that I was the EGF Champion. I even knew that you and Kodachi were in the Queen of Extreme Tournament, but still I never told you who I was," Alysse sincerely apologized to her friend. She paused for a moment before going on, just thinking about how to properly explain herself. "I…inside of a gymnastics ring, I'm…I'm _different_ than when I'm with you. I'm…mean, I'm nasty, I'm arrogant, I'm conceited…and…I never wanted you to know about that side of me, because...I was terrified of what you'd think of me if you did."

Still just staring down at her bed sheets, Ringo looked as if she was trying to keep herself from breaking into tears. "I'm not…upset about that."

"You're…you're not?" Alysse blinked, genuinely surprised.

Ringo shook her head. "It's just…Alysse, you got hurt like this because you were involved with me," she said, clearly feeling awful for all that had happened to the gymnastics champion. "If…if you'd just never met me, then-"

"If I'd never met you," Alysse was quick to interrupt, looking as serious as she ever had, "…I'd still be wasting away my days here miserable and alone."

Hearing that was enough to make Ringo raise her head and look at Alysse again. Now, Alysse was the one wearing a solemn expression.

"That's…how I always was," Alysse quietly spoke, unpleasant memories being dredged up within her mind. "After my family moved here when I was younger, kids all picked on me for having blonde hair and looking different. Nobody ever wanted to be friends with me. Then when I grew a little and took up gymnastics, everyone just assumed that anything good that came my way only happened because of who my sister was, and they all resented me for it. To them, I was just taking advantage of my last name, Winters, that Katrina had made so well known, even though she never had anything to do with my training. And I…after a while, I just got fed up with it all. I'd had enough. I decided that if everyone wanted to hate me, that was fine. If they hated me, I'd hate them, too, and I'd make sure they knew it."

Ringo laid back and she listened to her friend. She was astonished that someone who'd always been so kind around her had such awful feelings pent up inside of her heart.

"But, then…something funny happened," Alysse went on, a hint of a smile returning. "I was walking along one day after running an errand, bitter and wishing more than ever that I was back home in America, and I was feeling a little hungry. And…there was this Chinese restaurant there up ahead of me. I never, ever ate out, but, for whatever reason, that day I just figured…why not? It's not like anything that might happen in there could make life here much worse, right? So, I walked in…and there was this waitress. And at the very moment she saw me, she looked at me without prejudice or even a tiny bit of meanness, and she said...she said that my hair was pretty."

Though her name hadn't been mentioned, Ringo remembered well the first time she'd met Alysse, and she knew right away that the waitress being spoken of was her.

"I couldn't believe it, that someone I'd never met before had said such a nice thing about the same hair that others had always mocked me for having," Alysse laughed with joy as she recalled the incident. "I kept coming back to the restaurant after that, wondering if the waitress was really that kind, wondering if she'd show her true colors like everyone else in this country eventually. But she never changed. She was every bit that wonderful person she'd shown to me on the first day, and…at some point…I realized that I'd fallen in love with her."

When she heard Alysse utter those words, Ringo felt as though her heart skipped a beat. She was stunned. "Alysse…"

Pushing herself up out of her chair, Alysse painstakingly attempted to move closer to Ringo. With her body so banged up from last night, however, she was laboring greatly.

"H-hey, you're hurt! Don't push yourself," Ringo pleaded.

Alysse didn't heed the request, though she probably should have. As she took a step forward, her leg immediately gave out on her and she collapsed right down on top of Ringo, her face buried into the pillow right next to the girl's head.

"Alysse! Are you all right?" Ringo asked her.

The first thing Ringo would hear from her friend wasn't a response, but rather a muffled sniffling sound. "I love you. I love you so much," Alysse told her, trying to hold back her tears as she wept into the pillow. "That probably weirds you out, and I know I don't deserve you after keeping the truth about me from you for so long, but last night made me wonder if I'd ever get the chance to tell you how I felt. So, before it's too late, before anything like that can ever happen again…I love you, Ringo. You mean everything to me."

Alysse had no idea how Ringo would feel about her confession. The next few moments felt like an eternity as she waited for something to come out of the girl's mouth. Then, strangely, she began to hear a noise similar to what she herself was making. Pulling her head back to get a better look at the one beside her, Alysse saw that Ringo, too, had tears in her eyes.

"Hey, why are _you_ crying? I'm the one that's pouring my heart out here," Alysse jokingly chided her.

"I know," Ringo sobbed, lifting a hand up to dry her eyes. "I know, but…all I ever seem to do is bring trouble to everyone around me, so to hear something like that makes me really happy. And…especially from you. No matter what you say about yourself, I still think you're one of the nicest people I've ever met!"

Alysse listened intently to Ringo's every word. At the very least, Ringo seemed okay with knowing that she loved her. That was a good start, right?

"I always have so much fun when I'm with you, whether it's at the restaurant, or walking around window shopping, or even just being at your house the past few days," Ringo said, moving her hand now so that she could see Alysse again. "And last night, I got so mad when I saw Kodachi hurt you, because…you're such an important person to me, Alysse."

Her heart racing and her breath short, Alysse had to wonder if Ringo was really saying what she thought she was saying. "Th-…then…"

"I…don't know for sure, but," Ringo began, trying to find the right words to convey what she wanted to say, "…the way I feel about you…I think it's the same as how you feel about me. So…I know I'm a lot of trouble, but…if you're okay with someone like me…"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Alysse wrapped Ringo in as tight a hug as she could pull off with her aching body. "That should be my line! Of course I'm okay with you!" she put the girl's mind at ease in a hurry. "There's no one in the entire world I'd want more!"

Ringo, her cheeks wet with tears again, draped her arms over Alysse's back and returned the embrace. She'd meant every word of what she'd said. Even with the frightening things happening around her, the most relaxed she ever felt was during the time she spent with Alysse. When they were together, all of the worrisome things just seemed to wash away, and the same was true for the other girl.

There were still things that troubled the both of them, but right now, in this instant, Ringo and Alysse felt more at peace than either of them had perhaps ever been.

After she'd had enough time to really let it all sink in, Alysse suddenly pulled away so that she could look at Ringo again. "Umm…"

"Wh-what?" Ringo asked her.

Her face turning red with embarrassment, Alysse gulped as she tried to spit out a certain request she had. "I-Is it okay if I…k-…kiss you?"

Giggling on the inside as she thought about how cute Alysse looked just now, Ringo answered the girl with a nod and a bright smile. "Mhmm."

Ringo closed her eyes, and she waited.

As she beheld the sight before her, Alysse couldn't help but wonder what she'd done to deserve such happiness. After all of the grief she'd endured in the years since coming to Japan, though, she'd take it. A thousand times over, she'd take it.

And so, closing her eyes as well, Alysse leaned in and pressed her lips up against Ringo's, and a newfound warmth blossomed in both of their hearts. From now on, Ringo and Alysse would cherish each other to the fullest. And whatever may come their way, they would face it side-by-side.

* * *

Later that day after darkness had fallen, far away on the other side of the Sea of Japan, those who lived in the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku in China were attempting to settle in for the night. On this night, however, that would be easier said than done.

In one part of the village, Shampoo's sister, Aroma, had just returned to the home she shared with her great-grandmother, whom she spotted right away sitting at a book-covered table just inside the door. "_It's awful,_" the Amazon with long, brown hair complained in her native Mandarin language. "_Everyone's uncomfortable with those soldiers around._"

Over the past couple of weeks, news had continued to leak out regarding the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo—first from Ryouga's girlfriend and current military prisoner, Meilin, to her old acquaintance and male Amazon, Jynn, and then from Jynn to Cologne. Then, earlier today, a company of soldiers from the military had suddenly shown up at Joketsuzoku in search of something in particular. And they'd found it. There, sitting in front of Cologne at her table, was one of the wooden cubes she'd found glowing in her underground storage room not long ago.

"_I can't believe t__hey're making you help guard that thing,_" Aroma grumbled.

"_I'd have done so even if they weren't so insistent upon it,_" Cologne told the girl. "_If its purpose is as they say, I would not want to entrust it to that bunch._"

"_Hmm…I guess you're right,_" Aroma conceded, folding her arms as she leaned back against the wall. Her great-grandmother, she now noticed, was rubbing her temple and looked unusually distressed. It would be understandable for most people given the circumstances of what had gone on and what had been learned today, but not for Cologne. Even in the face of trying times, Aroma almost never saw this sort of look about her. "_Granny, what's wrong? You look like something's really bothering you._"

Cologne exhaled deeply as she tried to cope with the stress building up within. "_I have a bad feeling a__bout all of this,_" she replied.

"_A bad feeling? Why?_" Aroma asked curiously.

"_I can't say for certain. It's just a feeling really,_" the Amazon elder said. "_But…_"

Grabbing a book from the top of a stack on the table, Cologne hopped over to her great-granddaughter atop her staff and handed it to her.

Aroma batted her eyes as she took the book into her hands. "_What's this?_"

"_Listen, if anything should happen to me, I want you to get that book to Shampoo,_" Cologne demanded of her.

"_Wh-what're you talkin__g about?_" Aroma asked, starting to sound worried by the old woman's tone. "_Come on, it makes me nervous when you say such gloomy things._"

"_Aroma! I am serious!_" Cologne snapped, startling the girl. "_If anything happens, no matter what, you get that__ to Shampoo. Do you understand me?_"

Aroma would nod in response, showing that she got the message. Cologne only hoped that the bad feeling she had was merely all in her head.

* * *

Elsewhere in mainland China, after another fruitless day of searching for Sorceress Jusenkyo, the worn trio of Ryouga, Meilin and Akane were warming themselves by their campfire.

For over two weeks now, the Chinese military's Orange Team duo had been traveling in search of Jusenkyo with Akane at their side. With evidence suggesting that Jusenkyo was after Akane, Ryouga and Meilin figured they would get the chance to take out the resurrected sorceress soon after the youngest Tendo daughter joined up with them. Unfortunately, that hadn't turned out to be the case. Jusenkyo hadn't shown herself in front of the group even once since killing their fellow Orange Team member, Gibbon. Reports also persisted stating that other areas were being attacked by the sorceress, leaving everyone to wonder just what Jusenkyo's objective truly was.

Every day had been nerve-racking for the three of them, just wandering around looking for Jusenkyo, knowing that they could be attacked by her at any moment. Ryouga and Meilin would take turns sleeping at night while the other kept watch over their camp. No doubt it had been a stressful time for everyone involved, but none seemed to have more difficulty coping with it than the white-haired warrior, Meilin.

While looking over at his girlfriend, Ryouga could see her starting to fade. Her eyes, which always seemed to have bags under them in recent days, were struggling just to stay open. "Meilin, go get some sleep," he instructed her. "I'll take the first shift."

Meilin didn't argue; she simply pulled herself to her feet and started to head for their tent. After several steps, though, the girl stopped momentarily, taking a quick peek back at her lover. "Come join me for a bit?" she asked, hopeful that he would accept.

To Meilin's dismay, however, Ryouga would answer with a shake of his head. "I can't," he told her, his voice laden with remorse. "Someone needs to keep watch, and we can't leave Akane alone."

As Meilin continued to stand there, she started to fidget, clenching her hands and running them through her hair. Ryouga's refusal just now was one unpleasant happening too many for her, and she looked as if she was ready to explode.

"What is it?" Ryouga asked, picking up on the girl's odd behavior.

What is it? Oh, if Ryouga wanted to know, Meilin was going to let him in on _exactly_ what it was. "How long do we have to do this?" she angrily inquired, trying to resist the urge to physically take out her frustration on something. "We have what Jusenkyo wants, so why won't she attack us?"

Of course, Ryouga didn't know such a thing, either, and thus he kept quiet.

"I am _sick_ of this!" Meilin screamed. "Every day we walk around looking for this BITCH, waiting for her to come at us, and she never does!"

Meilin took a breath, trying to calm herself down. "And you know what? I could deal with it, I really could, if only I got to spend some time alone with you. But I can't even have that because someone always has to be looking after _her_!" she said, gesturing toward Akane.

"Meilin…" Ryouga looked upon her with contriteness.

Seated beside the boy, Akane stared down at her lap, away from Meilin. "I'm sorry. I really am," she apologized.

Meilin rubbed her forehead, knowing full well that her outburst was uncalled for. It wasn't the fault of Akane or Ryouga that things were the way they were, and she knew that. All she really wanted, even if it was selfish of her to do so, was just to get some things off of her chest.

Having done just that, Meilin finally resigned to the tent to get some sleep.

Now, as Ryouga sat there watching the campfire crackle, he looked much more troubled than he had before, and it had nothing to do with Jusenkyo.

"Ryouga," Akane spoke up, abruptly placing her hand on the martial artist's shoulder, "…when a girl needs you, you should go comfort her."

Though he appreciated Akane's intentions, Ryouga didn't appear comfortable at all with the suggestion. "Are you crazy? What about you?" he asked. "If Jusenkyo shows up-"

"I'll be fine," Akane cut him off. "If I see or hear anything, I'll yell for you. Okay?"

Ryouga was torn. He wanted to go to Meilin, but not at the cost of putting Akane in danger.

Akane, though, would help her old friend to make up his mind. Looking into the boy's eyes, she smiled warmly at him, letting him know that it was okay. "Go."

That was as much of a push as Ryouga needed. Grateful, he stood himself up. "Thank you, Akane," he said.

Without another word, Ryouga entered the tent to spend some rare quality time with his loved one.

For the first time in what felt like quite a while, Akane was all alone with nothing but the campfire to keep her company. She had a good idea of what was probably going on inside of that tent, and a stray noise here and there would help to fuel her imagination, but she would just have to try to ignore it as much as possible.

Several minutes had passed when, out of nowhere, a beeping sound began to emanate from Ryouga's backpack. Akane figured it might be a while until Ryouga re-emerged from the tent, and she wasn't looking forward to enduring the noise until that time came. So, getting up and stepping over to the pack, she reached inside and fished out the culprit: the military communicator that Ryouga and Meilin used.

Trying to recall how to use the device just as Ryouga had shown her a while back, Akane punched in a series of keys that both accepted the new message and stopped the dreadful beeping.

Akane sat back down, and, for a couple of minutes, she simply stared at the communicator's screen. Again and again she looked it over, trying to make sure of what she saw. Then, lowering the device away from her at last, her eyes narrowed. She raised her free hand and bit down lightly on her thumb, her focus now on the tent up ahead of her.

Something was on the girl's mind.

* * *

**End of Chapter 27**


	53. QoE: Face of Evil

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 28**

"It's hoooootttttt!"

It was another day, another trek through sweltering summer conditions as the group of Ryouga, Meilin and Akane continued on their westward course, presently heading in the direction of the Xian area. A smaller village well east of the city was where the last sighting of Jusenkyo had occurred several days earlier. Thus, their hunt for the sorceress would continue there.

The trio, who were walking off to the side of a large field of sugarcane crops at the moment, had adapted to the suffocating humidity that Mother Nature had unleashed upon them by shedding any excess layers of clothing and rolling the legs of their camouflage pants up past their knees. It was actually fortunate for Akane that she'd finally had to borrow a spare set of Meilin's clothes since her own that she'd been dragged off to China in were worn and torn beyond further use. The black tank tops Meilin wore were perfect for trying to keep cool. Well, perhaps not the color, but the design certainly was.

Increasingly overcast skies pointed to a potential for rain later in the day, something Ryouga was always hoping to avoid given that Akane was still in the dark about his Jusenkyo curse. He did have his umbrella with him, of course, but if something were to happen, seeing P-chan here out in the middle of nowhere in China all of a sudden while Ryouga mysteriously vanished might be too much coincidence for Akane to overlook.

Her dried out mouth hanging open, Meilin grabbed a canteen from her waist and took a healthy swig of water. Everyone was bothered by the heat, but she was always the most vocal about it. "I'll take marching through the snow in winter over this crap any day," she complained.

While walking alongside his girlfriend, Ryouga peeked back at Akane, who was following behind them. Akane, he noticed, seemed unusually distracted, looking all around as if something were bothering her. She'd been especially quiet all morning and into the current midday hours, possibly just trying to lay low after Meilin's outburst last night.

"Akane, it's okay to talk, you know. Meilin isn't mad anymore," Ryouga assured his old friend.

"Yeah, Ryouga made me feel a lot better last night," Meilin chimed in. She held up a few of her fingers. "Three times, even!"

"Hey, Meilin!" Ryouga started to turn red from embarrassment. Appreciative of the reaction, Meilin shot him a playful wink. "A-anyway, Akane, you don't have to be so quiet. Speak up if you want."

"Oh, okay. I guess that had been bothering me a little still," Akane admitted. She continued to look around, though, her attention mostly directed toward the sky. "But, besides that…I feel like I've been hearing something for a couple of minutes now."

"Hearing something?" Ryouga asked.

As Ryouga came to a momentary stop, Meilin took notice and followed suit, as did Akane. Together, the three of them stood and listened. They hadn't been able to hear it before when their focus was elsewhere, but now, even Ryouga and Meilin were able to pick up on it—a buzzing sort of noise the likes of which both of them had become very familiar with.

"Ryouga, that sounds like…"

"Yeah."

All eyes looked upward, and, soon enough, appearing from out of the clouds off to the east was a military transport helicopter. The aircraft was taking a more southwesterly direction at first. But, presumably due to the pilot spotting the three down below, it abruptly altered its course and began heading straight for the military prisoners and their acquaintance.

"That has to be for us. Why are they here, though?" Ryouga wondered aloud. "Are they dropping supplies?"

"No…it shouldn't be time for that yet," Meilin said, the chopper's appearance not sitting well with her. They were always sent messages ahead of time when they were about to be paid a visit, which left something feeling very off about this situation.

Once the helicopter was almost directly overhead, it began to descend. There was a clear intent to land the bird, which ruled out the likelihood of this being a mere supply drop. Down and down the craft came until, finally, it touched down between the three travelers and the crop field nearby.

As the helicopter started to power down, Meilin alone stepped up to it, the wind from the propellers blowing locks of her wavy, white hair off to one side. She hadn't a clue who might come out of the aircraft, but she was going to stay on guard until she knew for sure.

Meilin wouldn't be kept in the dark for long as the door to the helicopter was thrust open in a flash. From within the cabin, a bulky man of Chinese origin poked his head out. "_Yo, babe! Want a lift?_" he spoke to Meilin in Mandarin.

For Meilin, there was no mistaking the appearance of the crew-cut-bearing meathead before her; not after all the times they'd fought alongside each other since she'd been placed into her current predicament. This man was a fellow member of the special operations unit's Orange Team.

"_Ox?_" Meilin raised an eyebrow at the sight of her comrade. Ox wasn't the only one there, either. From behind him, numerous hands entered Meilin's view and waved, coupled with vocal calls for the Orange Team's unofficial commander. "_Everyone?_"

Akane, unclear on the identity of the visitors, leaned over next to Ryouga. "Hey, Ryouga, who are they?"

"They're…our team," Ryouga answered, just as surprised by the arrival as his partner was. "What in the world are they doing here?"

At the helicopter's door, Ox gave Meilin a lazy sort of salute. "_What's up?_" he greeted his commander. The pleasantries, however, would end there. "_Wait, screw that! What the hell are you doin' way out here, Commander?_"

"_Huh? What do you THINK we're doing? We're trying to find Jusenkyo so we can burn the hag to a crisp and make sure she'll never come back,_" Meilin retorted incredulously. "_What are YOU doing out here is the question._"

"_Wait, what? Didn't you see the order from last night, Commander?_" Ox inquired, genuinely curious if Meilin might be suffering from memory loss. "_We were supposed to pick up you and your boy this afternoon at that spot you were stopped at, but then we went there and you were gone, so we had to go lookin' for your asses!_"

"_Order?_" Meilin batted her eyes. "_What order?_"

"_The friggin' order! The one to go to Joketsuzoku!_" Ox exclaimed. "_They found something Jusenkyo wants there, so they're using it as bait. And we're all being shipped off to back them up._"

"_Joketsuzoku? That Amazon village?_" Meilin asked.

"_Damn right! They're purposely leaking out the info so Jusenkyo hears about it. Then, when she shows up, BAM! Ambush from an assload of us and the Amazon chickies that live there!_" Ox explained the plan that the higher-ups had put together. "_She'll never make it out in one piece!_"

This was all news to Meilin. What Ox was saying actually made sense, though. Combining the might of the military and the Amazons like that wasn't a bad move at all considering the opponent. "_It's a good idea. Still,_" she turned back to Ryouga briefly, speaking in Japanese to accommodate him, "…did we get any messages last night?"

"Messages? No. I checked this morning and there was nothing," Ryouga told her. "Why? What are you guys talking about?"

"_Whatever, who cares? Let's just get going,_" Ox interrupted, apparently done with talking about the miscommunication for the time being. "_By the way, Commander, who are these guys with you?_"

Meilin saw right away that this could become tricky. If their orders were to go to Joketsuzoku, Akane would, of course, have to go along with them. That meant Akane was going to be around the rest of the Orange Team for a while, and they were going to want to know who she was. Obviously, problems would arise if her involvement with the Jusenkyo matter became known, though. Meilin would just have to keep things short and to the point, she figured.

"_The girl is Akane,_" Meilin said, gesturing to the youngest Tendo daughter. "_She's just…tagging along for a bit. I'd prefer it if you all ignored her._"

"_Hmm,_" Ox gave Akane a quick looking over. Thankfully, he wouldn't pry any further for now. "_What about the other one?_"

"_The other one? That's Ryouga, you idiot,_" Meilin replied in a dry tone.

"_I know that!_" Ox snapped back, not appreciative of the insult. Raising a finger, he pointed in the direction off behind his commander. "_I meant HIM!_"

Unsure who Ox was referring to, Meilin turned her head and looked back over her shoulder. In an instant, everything about her demeanor changed. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, that calm but confused state replaced with panic and dread.

Ryouga and Akane, too, turned around, and gasps were drawn from the both of them as they laid eyes upon the same thing that Meilin had.

Standing right out in the open, her black cloak sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the green landscape, was the resurrected sorceress herself, Jusenkyo. Her scythe sitting at her feet, she raised her left arm where a bright light shone at the tip of her sleeve.

Ryouga, Meilin and Akane all knew what was coming. Ryouga grabbed the petrified Akane, and together the three of them dove out of the direct path of Jusenkyo's impending attack.

Meilin looked toward the helicopter as she fled, just hoping she could warn Ox and the others in time. "_RUUUUUUUNNNNNN!_" she screamed with all her might.

Too little, too late. Mercilessly, Jusenkyo unleashed her attack, firing an enormous beam of magical power that threw Ryouga and company off to the side before swallowing the helicopter entirely. The aircraft immediately exploded, showering the surrounding area with fire and debris.

The bright, horizontal pillar persisted for another couple of seconds before dissipating. The roar of the blast was gone, and a disturbing quiet set in.

As small pieces of the helicopter fell around them, Ryouga, Meilin and Akane slowly looked up. In the wake of Jusenkyo's attack, they found no shortage of destruction waiting for them. A wide trench of scorched earth sat along the path where the beam had traveled, going straight through the sugarcane field and continuing on as far as the eye could see. As for the transport helicopter, there was almost nothing left of it. Most of it, along with those inside, had been incinerated by the blast.

The three martial artists were stunned at the sight. It was eerily similar to the last time they'd witnessed Jusenkyo's monstrous attack, only this time it wasn't just one of their comrades perishing before their eyes as Gibbon had. This time it was all of them.

As she sat there taking it all in, Meilin, on the brink of tears, felt a pain overtake her heart. She hadn't known those of the Orange Team for very long. They were a reckless, rowdy bunch that could grate on her nerves at times. But, all of them had respected her. And now they were gone, dead at the hands of Jusenkyo. Every single one of them. They'd all done things they weren't proud of in life, but still…they deserved better than this.

"Meilin," Ryouga spoke his partner's name. Quietly, he was the first to get to his feet.

Raising her head, Meilin watched as Ryouga slid his umbrella out from the straps that held it. Allowing his backpack to fall to the ground, he gripped the umbrella tightly in his hand, turning a ferocious glare on Jusenkyo.

Meilin understood right away the meaning behind Ryouga's actions. "Yeah," she said, her voice laced with anger and determination. Now wasn't the time to grieve. Now was the time to fight. Drying her eyes, Meilin stood herself up, and, removing her snake sword from the sheath on her back, she took up her position at Ryouga's left side.

"Y-you guys?" Akane shakily uttered, still yet to stand. "You're not going to…"

"Akane, I want you to go into those crops and hide. Don't let Jusenkyo see you until this is all over," Ryouga instructed his one-time love interest. "We're ending this right now."

Akane didn't argue. This was what they had been planning all along, after all. Without protest, she stood herself back up. "Be careful. Both of you," she pleaded with them.

While Akane ran and took refuge in what remained of the tall sugarcane field, Jusenkyo began to move. Using her foot, she kicked her scythe up into the air and took it into her right hand, twirling it around several times before pointing it out ahead of her towards Ryouga and Meilin. This, it appeared, was her way of issuing a challenge.

"Not running this time, huh? Fine by us," Ryouga declared. It was an unfortunate day for this confrontation to take place as the overcast skies would make using his Happo Solar Flare nearly impossible, but Ryouga would find a way to get through this. Happo Solar Flare or no, Jusenkyo was going down.

"Let's go say hello, honey," Meilin suggested. Apart from her special sword, a gourd and the contents of several small packs were also ready for use at her waist. "Remember, watch her free hand. If we can't keep it busy, she'll charge another one of those blasts."

"I know," Ryouga assured her.

With that, the long wait was over. The lives of their fellow Orange Team members and the numerous others killed by Jusenkyo on their minds, Ryouga and Meilin sprang forth with every intent of burying the resurrected sorceress, this time for good.

Meilin being the quicker of the two, she came in ahead of Ryouga and readied her compacted sword to strike. Jusenkyo, still using only her right hand, reached back with her scythe and took a swing at the approaching warrior. Their blades clashed as Meilin used her sword to deflect the attack, each weapon jolted by the force of the other.

Ryouga entered the fray right after, thrusting the point of his umbrella right up toward Jusenkyo's face. The sorceress swiftly raised her weapon up, using the scythe's handle to defend herself. Ryouga's strength, however, would push Jusenkyo right up off her feet, knocking her back a yard and forcing her to regain her footing.

Ryouga and Meilin pushed forward, unrelenting in their assault. Faced with repeated attacks from Meilin's sword and Ryouga's umbrella, Jusenkyo was, for the moment, completely on the defensive as she used her scythe solely for protection. The ability to fend off both of her opponents was, in itself, impressive, though. Jusenkyo was incredibly quick with her weapon, something that Ryouga and Meilin hadn't gotten to see during their first encounter with the sorceress.

After a heated exchange of attacks, Meilin and Ryouga both swung down and connected with their weapons at the same time, the combined force driven into the handle of Jusenkyo's scythe and pushing the soles of her feet down into the soil. Jusenkyo wasn't about to let herself continue to be bullied around, though. With her lower body firmly planted, she used that traction to thrust her scythe outward, and, amazingly, was able to knock both Ryouga and Meilin back with that move alone.

As the Orange Team duo was able to see, Jusenkyo wasn't just fast; she also had some physical strength to her.

Without a word to each other, Ryouga and Meilin changed up their approach. Once Jusenkyo had pushed them back, they split up. Meilin went off to one side of the sorceress and created some distance between them. Ryouga went to the other side, but maintained his close range with the enemy.

The first one to resume the attack would be Ryouga, who closed in and clashed weapons with Jusenkyo again. The sound of metal striking metal resounded with every strike as Ryouga kept up his aggression. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sorceress, Meilin had gotten as far away as she needed to be. Reaching back with her snake sword, she unleashed it from afar, the sword's segments cutting through the air as they extended outward to lay into Jusenkyo.

Seeing the ranged attack closing in, Jusenkyo backed away from Ryouga for the moment and used her scythe's blade to swat away the lead segment of Meilin's sword. It would only provide a brief respite, however, as Meilin maneuvered her sword to come back at Jusenkyo again. Just as before, Jusenkyo knocked the blades aside, and then did so once more as Meilin tried to strike a third time. By now, though, Ryouga had caught back up to the sorceress.

With Ryouga nearing, Jusenkyo thrust the tip of her scythe's handle outward in an attempt to drive it into the boy's gut. Fortunately, Ryouga proved too alert to be hit by such an attack. Before the metal handle could land, he reached out and grabbed hold of it. Then, using the weapon to boost himself up into the air, Ryouga took a sharp swing at Jusenkyo's head with his leg.

Jusenkyo hurriedly ducked, narrowly avoiding having her head kicked in as Ryouga's foot went sailing over the tip of her cloak's hood. As Ryouga came back down, Jusenkyo broke her weapon free of his grasp and took a swing at his neck with the blade. Ryouga quickly raised his umbrella to guard, and the weapons collided yet again. Neither gave an inch.

With Ryouga able to keep an eye out for her blade again, Meilin whipped her snake sword around at Jusenkyo, who used her scythe to push off of Ryouga's umbrella and retreat back for a little breathing room. Jusenkyo batted the sword's segments aside again, but Ryouga was right back on her, and this time he brought something different.

Taking his umbrella into his left hand, Ryouga raised up his right and drove his index finger into the earth at Jusenkyo's feet. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Faced with a hail of rubble that exploded up from the ground, Jusenkyo took to the air, springing high, high above her opponents with ease. Just as with the first time they'd met Jusenkyo, Ryouga and Meilin were amazed at how effortlessly the sorceress could leap so far up into the air with such speed. But, thanks to that first encounter, the military prisoner pair also knew that Jusenkyo would react this way to Ryouga's Bakusai Tenketsu.

As Jusenkyo descended back toward the ground, she suddenly found herself enveloped in a thick smoke. One of the packs on Meilin's waist was filled with extremely potent smoke bombs, and, using prior experience to predict the sorceress's movements, she had left Jusenkyo temporarily blinded. Now it was time to make use of that advantage.

No sooner had Jusenkyo touched down when Meilin's snake sword sliced through the smoke and right into her left sleeve. Jusenkyo raised her scythe and defended herself as best she could with limited vision as the sword's segments came back again and again. But, while Jusenkyo was focused on the sword, something else began to come flying her way. A number of Ryouga's bandanas, sharply twirling through the air, entered the cloud of smoke and tore into Jusenkyo's cloak, opening cuts at the waist, chest and shoulder.

Finding herself at a serious disadvantage, Jusenkyo batted back Meilin's sword and bolted out in the direction it had come from. Within half a second she had exited the smoke, the damage done to her clothing there for all to see. Jusenkyo continued to charge at Meilin. The former member of the Seven Lucky Gods backed away while attacking with her extended sword as the enemy approached, the sorceress still defending with her scythe without trouble despite the hits she'd taken. The exchange wouldn't stay one-on-one for long, though. Jusenkyo had to end her offensive charge prematurely as Ryouga abruptly came in from the side, cutting off her path to Meilin. He drove his finger down into the earth with another Bakusai Tenketsu, sending a barrage of dirt and stones shooting outward.

Jusenkyo retreated to avoid the blast, and Ryouga followed in hot pursuit. Jusenkyo was about to give him a taste of his own medicine, though. As she landed, the sorceress swung her scythe into the ground, spraying bits and pieces of earth at the incoming martial artist—a move she'd previously used to mask her escape during their last encounter. However, Ryouga was well-equipped to handle the results. He reactively opened his umbrella, using it to shield himself and his eyes from the stones and dirt as he pushed forward. Once he was through, Ryouga closed up his weapon and went right back at Jusenkyo with a short-ranged assault.

Ryouga continued to unload strikes with his umbrella, and, although Jusenkyo was still managing to deflect the swings with her scythe, things weren't looking as even as they had been up until now. Ryouga's relentless attack alone was now pushing Jusenkyo back.

"Ryouga!" Meilin shouted from well off behind her partner.

Knowing what was coming, Ryouga took one last swing with his umbrella that knocked Jusenkyo back onto her heels. But, rather than hanging around to follow up on the blow, he surprisingly turned and dove for cover.

Once Jusenkyo regained her balance, she looked ready to chase after her fleeing opponent. That plan of action would quickly be nixed, though, as she spotted a live grenade bouncing to the ground in front of her. With little time to spare, Jusenkyo was now the one running again as she sprung into the air just before the grenade exploded.

What Jusenkyo didn't realize was that she'd jumped out of the frying pan and right into the fire. By the time she came back down, there was another grenade ready to detonate right at her feet. Again she jumped away to avoid damage, but she couldn't get away unscathed this time around. The grenade went off, the force of the blast ripping a sizable hole in the midsection area of Jusenkyo's cloak and sending her tumbling.

The one behind the explosives was Meilin, who had a number of them in her packs along with the smoke bombs she'd used earlier. She rather liked putting the grenades to work—one of the very few perks she actually enjoyed from being in her position as a military prisoner.

It wasn't difficult to see who was getting the better of things at this point. If not for the sweat covering their skin, Ryouga and Meilin wouldn't have even looked as if they'd been involved in a fight. Meanwhile, Jusenkyo's clothing was being shredded bit by bit. Thus far, she simply couldn't compete against the teamwork of her adversaries.

Ryouga and Meilin didn't know what kind of damage had been done beneath that cloak the sorceress wore, but it was definitely more than they themselves had taken. One thing they hadn't done so far, however, was force Jusenkyo to use her left hand. Needless to say, they hoped to change that.

Jusenkyo rolled to a stop, slow to get up after being rocked by the grenade blast. It was an opportune time for Ryouga to charge in and continue putting pressure on the sorceress, and that was exactly what he did. At the same time, Meilin, still hanging back for now, grabbed the gourd from her waist. She had a little something special in mind.

Once back on her feet, Jusenkyo found herself defending against Ryouga's umbrella right off the bat. Over and over their weapons clashed until Ryouga began to hear something coming in from behind him. He got in one more shot and stepped aside, watching as the lead segment of Meilin's snake sword soared in and smashed up against the blade of Jusenkyo's scythe.

Meilin was running back in toward the sorceress now, bringing her sword back around and slamming it into Jusenkyo's weapon before allowing Ryouga to take back over. With a flick of her wrist, Meilin recalled her sword, returning it to its single-bladed appearance as she came nearer.

Feeling the strength of Ryouga's umbrella swings, Jusenkyo was backpedalling again. This was all Ryouga needed to do for the moment—just keep the sorceress busy and focused on him. If he could do that, it would open up a window for the one whose footsteps he heard approaching from behind to do some real damage.

Listening closely for just the right time, Ryouga swatted Jusenkyo's scythe back again, and yet again. Eventually, his ears told him that his partner was in position to strike. Abruptly dropping to a knee, Ryouga watched as Meilin soared overhead, planting her foot against his shoulder to give herself a boost.

With her sword in her left hand, Meilin drove the blade into Jusenkyo's scythe, using it to keep the ghastly weapon out of the way. Then, breathing in heavily through her nose, Meilin gave Jusenkyo a taste of her real attack. The white-haired girl unleashed a searing blast of fire from her mouth, spraying it directly into Jusenkyo's face. The upper portion of Jusenkyo's cloak was set ablaze, and Meilin, raising her right leg up, tacked on further damage by drilling her boot into the sorceress's chest.

Jusenkyo was sent flying from the kick, the hood of her cloak burning up into nothing as she fell flat against the grass. Ryouga and Meilin had been looking for a significant blow, and they'd gotten it.

"Good work! That was perfect," Ryouga said of their teamwork-aided attack.

"How'd that feel, bitch?" Meilin snarled at the fallen sorceress, using her hand to wipe some of the leftover liquid from her gourd away from her mouth. "Let's get a look at that ugly face of yours!"

Jusenkyo was slow to move as the fire burned away her hood. She raised her right arm, still with scythe in-hand, to cover her face. Surprisingly, though, she was making no effort to put out the flames. Surely the fire searing the skin on her head had to be immensely painful, Ryouga and Meilin figured. So, why? Why wasn't she trying to stop it?

The flames had died down once they reached the shoulder area of Jusenkyo's garb, but not before scorching the hood enough that the remaining shreds of it slid away from her head. Behind her right sleeve, Jusenkyo's face was now exposed. She sat her body up and, gingerly, she rolled over, using her left elbow to push herself up to her knees.

Ryouga and Meilin saw Jusenkyo's upper body turn towards them. She was looking their way, but what was she hiding behind that sleeve of hers? That was something they were about to find out.

Slowly, Jusenkyo lowered her right arm and what lay behind it was unveiled to her opponents. Ryouga and Meilin had seen some disturbing things in the past months, but the reality of what Jusenkyo had been concealing was enough to startle even them.

"Wh-…what the _hell_…" Meilin stammered, shocked at what she beheld.

Ryouga, feeling nauseous, had to cover his mouth.

Jusenkyo's face, or lack thereof, was nothing more than a charred, blackened skull.

"That's impossible! Is she...nothing but a skeleton?" Meilin looked upon Jusenkyo in disbelief. "How can she even move around like that?"

Although there were greater questions about Jusenkyo at the moment, Meilin also couldn't help but notice how bad of shape the sorceress's skull was in. The burns on it were horrendous, much worse than what her flame-spitting attack could have done in such a short amount of time. Whatever had caused those burns had been done by someone else.

By now, Ryouga had settled himself down some. He didn't understand either how someone who was nothing but bones had been fighting them up until now, but this was Jusenkyo after all. As much havoc as she'd caused, expecting the unexpected was practically a requirement for survival against her. The real question was, how would you go about killing something that shouldn't logically be alive in the first place?

"Meilin," Ryouga spoke up, an idea sparking within his mind, "…if her body is really only a skeleton, there shouldn't be anything holding her up but her spine. If we can just get one good hit in right above her hips…"

Meilin understood what Ryouga was getting at. "She'd be broken in half. She'll be a sitting duck for us," she realized. "All right, Ryouga. Let's do this!"

While Ryouga and Meilin were conversing, Jusenkyo stood herself back up, her empty eye sockets fixated on the two that had put some hurt on her.

In the midst of the temporary lull, Akane, positioned well away from the ongoing battle, was peeking through the crops she was hidden within. She'd been watching the fight unfold intently from the very beginning, and she didn't plan on looking away until it was all over.

Now, with Ryouga and Meilin ready to go on the attack again, Jusenkyo raised her scythe up. But, to the puzzlement of her opponents, she then took the weapon and tossed it aside.

"What?" Ryouga blinked, confused by the move. "What is she doing?"

For Jusenkyo, it was time to switch things up. Taking her right hand, she knelt down and slammed her palm against the ground, then whipped it off to one side.

At that very moment, Meilin yelped with surprise as she, too, was thrown off to the side, and with her went a huge wave of soil that left behind an eight-foot-deep hole in the earth.

"Meilin!" Ryouga shouted as he watched his girlfriend hit the ground, a mess of dirt falling all around her. He had no idea what had just happened, but he was set on stopping Jusenkyo before she could do it again.

Ryouga charged the sorceress with a purpose, his umbrella gripped tightly and poised to strike. Jusenkyo, though, lifted her hand into the air and brought it down sharply, the bones of her index and middle fingers pressed together. All of a sudden, the task of running became much more challenging for Ryouga as he instantly felt a great weight forced down upon him.

His knees buckling, Ryouga dropped down onto all fours. Though he attempted to push himself back up, try as he might, he couldn't do it. It was as if the planet's gravity had been greatly increased exactly at the spot where he stood. "Heavy!" he groaned through his clenched teeth. "What…is this?"

One half of the Orange Team duo may have been down, but the other was now up again. "Ryouga, she's using her magic!" Meilin yelled to her man, snapping her snake sword out toward the sorceress from a distance.

With the sword's segments extending her way, Jusenkyo moved her right hand and pointed it at Meilin. As the sorceress's palm faced outward, an extremely violent gust of wind roared from out of nowhere. It was enough to not only blast away Meilin's sword, but also Meilin herself as the seasoned warrior was blown back onto the grass.

As soon as Jusenkyo had moved her hand to target Meilin, the weight upon Ryouga was also lifted. He didn't doubt Meilin's belief that this was Jusenkyo's magic at work. Given how she had let up on him while attacking Meilin, though, it seemed there was only so much the sorceress could do at one time. Still, this offense of hers was much more effective than using her scythe had been, which left one to wonder, why hadn't she used it sooner?

There had to be a reason for that, but Ryouga didn't have the time to think about it right now. Once he was back up, he bolted for Jusenkyo again. Unfortunately, Jusenkyo flicked her wrist upward well before he could get in range, and the very ground Ryouga stood upon was, in turn, elevated nearly twenty feet into the air in the form of a large pillar.

After being shot up into the sky, Ryouga was now in a freefall. Jusenkyo, looking to capitalize on the boy's awkward position, raised another pillar of earth to strike him. Ryouga was ready for it this time, though. As the pillar approached, he drove his index finger straight into the top of it.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The pillar shattered, showering the land with dirt. Jusenkyo quickly summoned a third pillar, but it would be disposed of by Ryouga just as fast as the second one had. Finally, the martial artist was able to land safely on the ground again.

"_Damn, we can't even get near her!_" Ryouga thought to himself, his frustration starting to show.

Ryouga moved in again, and Meilin, after righting herself following the gust of wind that had sent her for a loop, was also back on the attack. While running toward Jusenkyo to get the sorceress in range of her sword, Meilin reached back with her weapon. She was about to unleash the blades again when, suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way.

"Wha-!" Meilin gasped.

Meilin dropped down into a large hole that had opened up under her feet, falling right onto her backside. The worst was yet to come, though. As Meilin looked up, she saw hanging right above her all of the soil that had been removed to make that hole she sat in. The dirt poured down into the opening in a hurry, completely burying Meilin underneath. The unofficial commander of the Orange Team was entirely lost from sight.

"Meilin!" Ryouga cried out.

With his attention diverted to the plight of his partner, Ryouga became an easy target. He, too, felt the ground give way beneath him, dropping him into a smaller hole that went up just above his knees. The hole quickly filled in with dirt that, unlike with Meilin, was packed down tightly around Ryouga's legs, temporarily immobilizing him.

"Damn it!" Ryouga growled, trying to yank his legs free of the ground. It shouldn't have been extremely difficult for someone of his strength, but, somehow, it was proving to be a chore. It was then that Ryouga noticed a chill start to run through his lower body. Reaching down, he planted his palm against the earth. It was cold. _Really_ cold. "She…she _froze_ the ground?"

Far off to Ryouga's side, a wave of soil exploded up from the ground. An arm popped out from beneath, and soon, so did the dirt-covered head of Meilin. She had managed to dig part of herself free, taking large breaths of air after having been buried as she had. Digging the rest of herself out, she believed, wouldn't take long.

But, as Meilin looked toward Jusenkyo, she realized that time wasn't on her side. Within the left sleeve of Jusenkyo's cloak, a light was starting to shine.

Meilin understood everything perfectly now. Jusenkyo had just been buying time while she was preparing another one of her blasts of magical power. The only reason she was trying to manage with just her scythe before was most likely because there was some limit on how much magic she could use while readying the attack.

In a panic, Meilin turned toward the location where her partner was struggling to move. "Ryouga, that beam of hers is charged!" she screamed. "GET OUT OF THERE!"

Hearing that bit of information was concerning enough for Ryouga, but Jusenkyo's next move was even more so. The sorceress shifted her left arm and faced her palm in Ryouga's direction, aiming her signature attack directly at him.

Ryouga's level of urgency went through the roof. Reaching back, he used his Bakusai Tenketsu on the hardened ground at his feet. The earth broke around him at last, pelting his body with chunks of frozen dirt in the process. He ignored the hits as best he could, climbing out of the hole and pushing himself to get out of the impact area of Jusenkyo's impending blast. The sorceress was moving her hand as her target ran, though, making sure to keep it locked onto him. And she was about to fire.

"Crap, crap, crap! I don't know if I can get away from it!" Ryouga thought aloud frantically. "Move, body! Move! MOVE!"

"_Ryouga, look out!_"

Hearing a familiar voice off behind him, Ryouga briefly peeked back over his shoulder while he moved. The one who had called out to him, he saw, was the same one who was supposed to be hiding herself in the crops. It was Akane, and, for some reason, she was presently rushing toward him.

Ryouga could understand what Akane was thinking. She didn't want to see him get hurt. But, there was no way for her to help in this situation. Ryouga would have to get out of this on his own.

Intent on saving himself, Ryouga set his attention back on Jusenkyo. Something had changed, though—something that made his heart sink in his chest the moment he saw it. Jusenkyo was no longer looking at him. Having turned her horribly burnt skull, those eye sockets of hers now appeared to be focused on something else: Akane Tendo.

Immediately, one single word went through Ryouga's mind. "_No…_"

Just as her head had, Jusenkyo's left arm moved as well. It, too, was soon facing Akane.

"_No!_"

Ryouga, digging his feet into the ground, rapidly switched directions. He wasn't even thinking anymore—only reacting. Rather than running away from Jusenkyo, he was now heading straight for her.

Akane, seeing that Jusenkyo had her in her sights, skidded to a halt. The terrified expression that came over her said all that needed to be said.

"Don't do it!" Ryouga shouted at the ill-intentioned sorceress.

Jusenkyo didn't waver as the boy approached, the light within her sleeve growing brighter and brighter.

In his desperation, Ryouga took his umbrella and launched it at Jusenkyo in an attempt to prevent her from doing what she was about to do. "STOOOOOOPPPPPPPP!"

Ryouga could only watch in dismay as Jusenkyo reached out with her right hand and caught his umbrella, throwing it to the ground. There would be no stopping her.

Horrified and without hope of escape, Akane looked to her old friend one last time for help. "Ryo-!"

That was the last thing Ryouga heard. Before his tearful eyes, an enormous beam of magical power exploded outward from Jusenkyo's palm. The swath of destruction was immense as the beam ripped through the land, incinerating everything in its path. The thunderous roar of the attack assaulted the ears of Ryouga and Meilin until, just as it had earlier, the light dissipated and vanished.

The aftermath of the blast was no less startling than it was after Jusenkyo's first such attack. The huge trench of scorched earth left behind spoke volumes of the power the sorceress had been building up while fighting. This time around, the amount of lives lost wasn't as great. The significance of those lost for Ryouga, however, was monumental.

Ryouga, completely ignoring Jusenkyo, looked to the area where Akane had been. Absolutely nothing remained. There was no sign of Akane. Not a trace.

Ryouga's mouth was dry. His eyes burned with tears. He couldn't believe this was real. He didn't want it to be real. Akane, his first love, his friend…was gone.

While time may have stopped for Ryouga, it hadn't for Jusenkyo. Looking to the side, the sorceress noticed that one of her opponents was in a daze. Unfortunately for Jusenkyo, Ryouga's lover hadn't let the tragedy unfolding before them take her mind off of her objective.

With Jusenkyo looking away, Meilin's snake sword came slicing through the air and struck the sorceress's spine just below her skull. The blade made a clean cut through the bone, sending what remained of Jusenkyo's head rolling to the ground.

"No more living for you," Meilin hissed.

To Meilin's shock, though, the rest of Jusenkyo's body didn't fall. Not only that, but it began to move even without its skull. Her magical power depleted, Jusenkyo, sensing that Ryouga was easy prey, dashed straight for the martial artist to finish him off.

"You're kidding me!" Meilin gasped. Without a second to spare, she took off after the sorceress. "Ryouga, look out! Snap out of it!"

Ryouga didn't budge.

Meilin reared back with her sword, but she wasn't sure it would make it in time to stop Jusenkyo. "Ryouga!" she screamed.

Jusenkyo lunged forward and raised her right arm up. Looking to use the points of her finger bones to drill through Ryouga's chest, she snapped her hand out to strike and the tips of the bones touched against Ryouga's skin. That, however, was as far as they would get.

Though he appeared to be out of it, Ryouga had reached out and grabbed Jusenkyo by her wrist. Jusenkyo tried to pull away, but she was caught in a vice too tight to escape from so easily. Slowly, Ryouga turned around to face her. There was an immeasurable sadness in his eyes. That wasn't all, though. There was also an unforgiving hatred, and, letting that hatred guide him, Ryouga took Jusenkyo's arm and bent it around behind her body.

Attempting to jar herself free by other means, the sorceress took her left hand and tried to jam her fingers through one of Ryouga's eyes. Ryouga, though, caught that wrist as well. Doing the same as he had with the first, he pulled the arm behind Jusenkyo's back.

Jusenkyo was now incapacitated, and Ryouga wasn't done with her yet. With his arms around Jusenkyo's waist, he pulled her toward him into a crushing bear hug.

Meilin, who had been running to save her partner, brought herself to an abrupt halt. She couldn't risk attacking with her sword when Jusenkyo was literally right up against Ryouga. Then again, she wasn't sure she needed to. "Ryouga…?"

Jusenkyo's bones squirmed within Ryouga's grasp, but, no matter how much she wriggled around, she wasn't having any sort of luck escaping from the martial artist.

"Akane…" Ryouga somberly choked out the name of the precious one he'd lost. "You give Akane back. GIVE HER BACK!"

Ryouga let out an ear-piercing howl, bringing voice to the awful pain he felt in his heart, and an enormous pillar of red chi energy was simultaneously expelled upward from his body. High above his head the chi energy gathered in the sky, building and building into one staggeringly large mass. This was something he hadn't shown in a very long time: the true form of his Shi Shi Hokodan attack.

"Wh-…what?" Meilin stood gawking at the ferocious display of energy. She'd never had the chance to see Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan, much less the perfected version of it. She knew just from looking at it, though, that no one standing below that mass in the sky was safe.

Trusting that Ryouga knew what he was doing, Meilin spun around and fled for safety.

With her arms pinned behind her, Jusenkyo was helpless against Ryouga's brute strength. The chi energy poured from his body, feeding and feeding the collection up above. Eventually, the flow of energy stopped. The attack was prepared, and Ryouga, his head drooping, voided himself of chi.

Though Ryouga was in such an empty sort of state, Jusenkyo still couldn't break the grip he held on her. There wasn't a single thing she could do to defend herself.

The buildup of chi energy came crashing down like an asteroid and slammed into the spot where Ryouga and Jusenkyo stood. The power unleashed was tremendous, sending a shockwave across the land that threw Meilin right off her feet as she ran. The ground shook violently, and every blade of grass and crop within view was blown back, some ripped right out from their roots.

By the time things had settled, a sizeable crater sat at the point of the Shi Shi Hokodan's impact.

As tiny bits of grass and soil rained down from the sky, Meilin slowly raised her head to look around. She'd always known Ryouga had skill, but the level of power she'd just seen was beyond anything she'd expected from him. It was terrifying.

Meilin worked her way back to her feet. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to the newly-created crater. In a way, it was just as breathtaking as the damage done by Jusenkyo's blasts. It left Meilin, who had always considered herself quite strong, feeling strangely out of place. Whether it was the truth or just an exaggeration on her part, right now, in this moment, she felt as though she was in the presence of two monsters that she couldn't even compare to.

Eager to check on Ryouga, Meilin began staggering forward until, suddenly, she felt her foot hit something. Looking down, she would find sitting at her feet the charred skull that she had cleaved from Jusenkyo's body.

The skull wasn't moving, but Meilin didn't care. Raising her boot up, she stomped down onto it mercilessly. The first strike broke the skull apart. The repeated ones that followed smashed it into bits. Meilin wasn't going to allow any chance of Jusenkyo coming back again.

Satisfied that she'd done the necessary damage, Meilin left behind the mess of shattered bones and hurried toward the crater. "Ryouga!"

Meilin ran up to the ledge and peered down inside. The crater, she quickly noticed, was even deeper than she'd imagined. She wasn't interested in that, though. She was interested in what lay at the crater's bottom.

Inside the massive hole in the earth, nearly twenty feet down below ground level, Ryouga Hibiki stood tall all by his lonesome. At his feet lay the black cloak Jusenkyo had worn, a smattering of bones strewn about beneath it. Jusenkyo's body, as it were, was in pieces, decimated by the vast power of Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan.

With tears streaming down his face, Ryouga buckled, dropping to his knees. "Akane," he whimpered.

"Ryouga…" Meilin looked down upon her lover with pity.

Overcome with grief, Ryouga cried out as he slammed his fists down into Jusenkyo's remains.

After an extensive search, the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo had finally been defeated at the hands of Ryouga and Meilin. The cost of their victory, however, was immense. They had lost their ragtag group of comrades known as the Orange Team. And, even more gut-wrenching for Ryouga, they had lost Akane.

* * *

**End of Chapter 28**


	54. QoE: Deception

_**A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme  
**_**by rkOujirou**

Author's note: This story is a continuation on the Ranma ½ anime, including the OVA's and movies. Therefore, keep in mind that anything exclusive to the manga hasn't happened in this story.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. The only characters I'll claim are my own OC's that I've added into this story. Just so you know.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

As the sun rose off to the east, another late-summer morning arrived in the land of Japan. For most, it felt no different than any other morning. Of course, that was only because they, like everyone else in the country, were completely oblivious to the pivotal battle that had taken place in China a day earlier. No one other than Ranma Saotome ever knew of the threat the resurrected Sorceress Jusenkyo once posed, and not a single one was aware of the fate that had befallen one of Japan's own who had been caught up in the conflict.

Overlooking the water from a small cliff at the side of the ocean, one girl who was amongst those in the dark about yesterday's events watched as the light from the rising sun reflected off the water's surface. That girl was the okonomiyaki chef extraordinaire, Ukyou Kuonji.

For a long while now, Ukyou had both desired and actively sought just one thing: a duel with Shampoo. She wanted a fight, and with it the chance to prove to herself, Shampoo and everyone else that she could best the Amazon girl in combat.

That desire hadn't changed after Ukyou had struck Shampoo from behind, drilling the girl with her spatula and knocking her out cold. At that time, something else _did_ change, though. Ukyou knew right then and there that she had crossed the point of no return. Shampoo wouldn't forgive the cheap shot; she would come seeking retribution as soon as she came to. That was when Ukyou suddenly began to feel unsure of herself. Could she really defeat Shampoo as she was now? Had she been training enough to accomplish such a tall task? She genuinely didn't know.

Doubt wasn't something Ukyou could afford to have weighing down her heart if she intended to fight Shampoo. Knowing this, she had gathered what she'd needed from her restaurant immediately after the incident and made her escape.

Ukyou had assured herself that it was merely a temporary retreat. She simply needed time to prepare for what lay ahead. First and foremost, she had decided to get back to basics, coming again to the very sea where she'd trained while plotting revenge against Ranma and Genma in years past.

As Ukyou looked out toward the horizon, a line of dark clouds started to block out the sun as they approached. An early storm would be rolling in soon—a prime opportunity to face the ocean's waves at their roughest.

Taking the oversized spatula from her back, Ukyou readied herself for battle. No matter how long it took, she would fight on until the doubt within was conquered.

* * *

Elsewhere in Japan, well inland where the stormy weather wouldn't be reaching, Shampoo stood alone, quiet and focused out behind the Cat Café restaurant. Positioned in front of the usual straw dummy, the head of which had been mended back on after Ukyou had lopped it off several days earlier, the lavender-haired martial artist was getting in some extra mental training for her Speed of Light Fist before the time came to open the restaurant for the day.

Both Shampoo and Ranma were getting a short reprieve from watching over Ringo and Alysse as Ranma had talked his father into taking a shift. Obviously, there were concerns about how well Genma would do with the task, but Ranma figured his old man was probably at least peeved enough with Kodachi over what had happened to his friend, Soun, that he would be ready and willing to defend the girls should Kodachi show up at the hospital. Of course, it also helped that Genma truly thought of Ringo as his own daughter. He most likely would have even helped Ranma and Shampoo defend her prior to Kodachi's defeat had Alysse not suggested hiding Ringo at her own home.

Shampoo's right arm was still hurting from the scuffle with Kodachi, hence why her training would have to remain exclusively mental for now. She would have to be creative with her cooking later as well to avoid straining the injured limb.

Even as the back door to the restaurant abruptly opened, Shampoo's eyes remained closed. Naturally, the one who had appeared from within the building's interior was Ranma—no one else lived there, after all. Presently holding a postcard in his hand, the pigtailed boy had come out for a quick word with his girlfriend. Those plans would be put on hold, though, as he realized how wrapped up Shampoo was in what she was doing.

Smiling, Ranma quietly shut the door behind him and took a seat against it. He himself had always had trouble maintaining the focus to meditate, so to see how deeply Shampoo was able to concentrate was impressive. Honestly, _everything_ she'd done since resuming her training for the Speed of Light Fist was impressive to Ranma. Even without Cologne around to badger her, Shampoo was taking it very seriously.

As always, Ranma had safely tucked away in his pants pocket the wooden cube that Jynn had given him nearly two weeks ago. He hadn't heard from Jynn or anyone else since then regarding what was going on with the sorceress known as Jusenkyo, which left him feeling restless about the whole thing. He still hadn't told Shampoo of what was going on, either. Even so, Ranma would watch over the cube until he was certain Jusenkyo had been dealt with. He just hoped those over in China would be enough to handle the task.

After a few minutes had passed, Shampoo was apparently ready for a break. She finally opened her eyes, and, upon doing so, was surprised to find Ranma sitting there watching her. "Ranma?" she blinked.

"Yo."

"What you doing?"

Ranma raised up the postcard in his possession and waved it in the air. "We got somethin' I thought you'd like."

Strolling over to her beau, Shampoo took the card from him and promptly plopped herself down onto his lap, drawing a surprised, "Oof," from the boy.

As she leaned back against Ranma, Shampoo noticed that the postcard actually featured a photograph. It was a photo of Kirin of the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists, Lychee, his wife, and, in Lychee's arms, a newborn child.

Shampoo's eyes sparkled at the image. "Lychee have baby!"

"Yeah. Weird to think Kirin's a dad now, huh?" Ranma said, scratching his head a bit. "Guess we're gettin' to that age where people we know are startin' families already."

Those words perhaps sparking some particular ideas in her mind, Shampoo turned and looked back at Ranma.

"What?" Ranma asked, batting his eyes. Gradually, though, just from that yearning expression he saw on Shampoo's face, he understood exactly what was running through her head. "Heck no!" he exclaimed. "I know what you're thinkin'! I ain't ready to be a dad!"

"It no have to be now," Shampoo huffed, facing away from him again. "But…Ranma want family someday, yes?"

Ranma couldn't keep a straight face right now if his life depended on it. To say he was uncomfortable with this topic of discussion would be a huge understatement. "I…someday…I guess it'd be fine," he finally managed to answer. "I mean, I already know what _not_ to do while raisin' a kid thanks to Pop. How hard could it be?"

Chuckling to herself, Shampoo had a dreamy look about her as she stared down at the postcard. "It be nice."

Ranma certainly dreaded the idea of it happening anytime soon. But, as he sat there together with Shampoo, he silently had to admit that maybe he wouldn't mind it either. Not now, of course. Hell no. But, someday maybe. _Someday_.

"_What a haul! What a haul!_"

All of a sudden, Ranma and Shampoo heard an eerily familiar voice—one that sent chills running down their spines.

"H-hey…am I hearin' things, or…?"

"That…no can be…"

Shortly after the sound reached their ears, someone landed atop the wall in front of them, casting a shadow upon the ground at their feet. Ranma and Shampoo both set eyes on the individual as he trotted across the top of the wall. Not unexpectedly, it was an older, rather short man with a disguise over his head and a furoshiki on his back that was filled to the brim with women's undergarments. As the older man spotted the two down below, he abruptly slowed to a halt. Caught in the man's stare, Ranma and Shampoo could only grimace at their misfortune.

It was the old lecher himself, Happosai.

"Ranma! You're okay!" an elated Happosai exclaimed as he jumped toward his pupil.

With Shampoo leaping from his lap in a hurry, Ranma pulled back in disgust as Happosai latched onto his arm. "What're you doin' here, y'old freak? Get offa me!" Ranma tried to shake the unwanted visitor away, but to no avail.

Having greeted Ranma already, Happosai then turned to the attractive girl in his presence. "And Shampoo, too!"

Happosai detached himself from Ranma and hopped over to Shampoo now, aiming straight for her buxom chest. Shampoo, though, would have none of it. Taking her good arm, she drove her fist into the old man's face. Happosai flew backwards, smacking into the training dummy before crumbling to the dirt.

"Shampoo no miss you one bit. You go away," Shampoo shot a dirty look at the founder of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.

Seemingly hurt by the cold reception, Happosai began to wipe tears from his eyes. "Wh-why are you being so mean to me? I'm just happy to see you is all," he claimed.

"Cut that out!" Ranma snapped at him, not buying the act for a second. "Where have _you_ been? Huh? Actually, never mind that. Wherever it was, just hurry up and go back there!"

"How dare you! I was off looking for _you_, you ungrateful whelp!" Happosai angrily retorted. Looking to teach the boy some manners, he popped up and gave Ranma a solid whack atop his head.

"Oww!" Ranma groaned as he grabbed at the affected area.

"I looked all over China for your hide! You oughtta show me some gratitude!" Happosai insisted.

While Ranma was aware that Happosai had been in China, he knew better than to accept the old goat's words at face value. "Oh, really? From what Ryouga told me, you were more busy stealin' stuff from people over there than lookin' for me!"

"That's ridiculous! He doesn't know what he's talking about!" Happosai denied the accusation, for whatever that was worth. "Listen up! I need to finish my collection run, but I'll be back later. Nobody's home at Tendo's place for some reason, so it's your responsibility to treat me to some grub!"

"WHAT?" Ranma was incredulous as he watched Happosai take to the wall again and head off. Unwilling to go along with the old man's plans quietly, Ranma bolted after him. "Get back here, freak! You ain't gettin' nothin' from us! HEY!"

Shampoo watched as Ranma gave chase to the seasoned pervert, allowing a resigned sigh to pass between her lips as the two of them disappeared from view. "Some thing no change," she muttered.

Still holding the postcard in her hand, Shampoo looked again at the picture of Kirin and Lychee with their baby. That was enough to bring back her smile.

Some things really hadn't changed. But, whether it was the progress of her relationship with Ranma or the events surrounding the lives of those they knew, other things most definitely _had_ changed around Shampoo since she and Ranma had returned from China—some for the better, some not so much.

Though she wasn't sure what the future held, right now, as she stared down at that photo, Shampoo found herself thinking only one thing: she hoped that one day it would be she and Ranma sending a similar picture back to Kirin and Lychee. It would take some convincing of Ranma, sure, but there would be plenty of time for that. After all, they still had practically their whole lives ahead of them.

* * *

While life was returning to normal in Japan, it right now felt anything but for a certain pair of military prisoners over in China.

Currently inside a military facility on the country's east coast, the unofficial commander of the now mostly deceased Orange Team, Meilin, quietly opened the door to the office of she and Ryouga's superior, General Khan. After being recovered from the site of their battle with Sorceress Jusenkyo yesterday, Ryouga and Meilin were "graciously" allowed to rest for the remainder of the day. It was only now that they were being summoned to Khan's office for a little chat regarding the incident.

Looking up from his desk, the short-fused Khan watched as the female warrior entered. "_You're late!_" he barked at her in Mandarin.

Normally, such words would be greeted with a bountiful helping of backtalk from Meilin. Today, though, the girl kept her mouth shut, withholding the usual barbs she would throw at the heavyset man. She just didn't have the fight in her for it, and for good reason.

Meilin peeked back over her shoulder as her partner, Ryouga, slowly wandered into the office now. Dragging his feet along the floor the whole way in, Ryouga, with bags under his eyes and a noticeably unkempt appearance, looked absolutely terrible. He hadn't slept a wink since yesterday due to the emotional torment resulting from what had happened to his dear friend, Akane. Looking completely out of it, he moved over to the wall, leaned back against it and just slid down onto his backside.

"_You look like hell,_" Khan bluntly evaluated Ryouga's condition. He turned to Meilin looking for answers. "_What's wrong with him?_"

With a pained expression, Meilin sullenly glanced over at her anguished lover. "_He's just…torn up about what happened to our team,_" she answered, not wanting to bring up Akane to Khan. She had been doing everything she could to comfort Ryouga throughout yesterday and last night, but he was simply inconsolable. "_And speak in Japanese. He still can't understand what you're saying._"

Not happy with having to cater to Ryouga again, the General, his eye twitching, fixed an annoyed glare on the martial artist. "I thought I told you to learn our language!" he growled, switching over to Japanese despite his dislike of having to do so. "And as for what happened to that Orange Team trash, get over it! They were worthless to begin with. The _real_ shame is the helicopters Jusenkyo destroyed, not those pieces of prisoner scum she took out."

Meilin angrily balled up her right fist, the remark not sitting well with her at all. She would have beaten Khan to a pulp for saying that about her lost comrades if she wasn't aware of the severe repercussions for doing so. "Why did you call us here?" she asked, her patience running thin. "You want to congratulate us for bringing down Jusenkyo or something?"

"Hah! Oh, yes, congratulations. Amazing work," Khan sarcastically praised the two of them. "What a load of crap. I couldn't care less about what you did. Even if you hadn't done it, we would've taken Jusenkyo out soon enough anyway."

The response was about what Meilin had expected. "Why, then?" she persisted.

"Why? Because I want to know why you disobeyed a direct order! That's why!" Khan sharply replied.

"Disobeyed an order? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I'm talking about the order we sent you the night before yesterday. It clearly said to stay put until the transport arrived, but then you two went and moved out instead!"

Meilin felt as though she'd heard about this before. "That again?" she grumbled. "Ox mentioned something about that, too. We never got the stupid message."

"Oh, yes, you did!" Khan argued. "Deny it all you like, but our records show that you accepted that message not even a minute after it was sent to you!"

"Wh-…what?" Meilin blinked, confused as could be. It just didn't make any sense. None whatsoever. She knew for a fact that she hadn't accepted that message. Ryouga had said that he hadn't done so either, and he wouldn't lie to her about that sort of thing. And it wasn't as if it would be easy to accidentally accept the message with the communicator bouncing around in Ryouga's backpack. The device wasn't set up to make accepting them so simple. For that matter, even if such a thing _had_ happened, the message should have still been listed along with the other ones on the communicator that they'd already received and read, which this one wasn't. So then, how would they have…?

Suddenly, something new dawned on Meilin. For a moment, she stood still, silent, mulling over the possibility that what had occurred to her might, in fact, be possible. Looking back at General Khan, her eyes narrowed. "Are you _sure_ someone accepted that order?" she asked.

"Of course, I am!" Khan told her. "Our records say that you did, and our records are never wrong!"

What had struck Meilin was that there was a third member to their party as of the time when the message arrived, leaving her to wonder if that person may have been responsible. "What exactly did the order say?" she inquired, eager for more information.

"Are you deliberately trying to waste my time?" Khan, growing more irritated by the second, chided the girl. "The order said to stay put and wait for the transport, and that you and the rest of the Orange Team were being sent to Joketsuzoku because we'd located an item there that we believed Jusenkyo was after!"

Having been presented with that knowledge, Meilin raised a hand up and started to rub her chin. Akane. Akane, Akane, Akane. Though Meilin wasn't sure why Akane would do it, what if she had? Could she even read the message? It was written in Chinese, after all. And regardless of whether she could read it or not, if Akane _had_ accepted the message, why hadn't she told them about it? Had she just forgotten? Or…

Meilin's eyes widened. What all had happened since they'd first run across Akane in that village? What all had she told them? Meilin thought back over all of it, every single bit of what she could remember. Piece by piece, within the girl's mind, the puzzle began to fall into place.

"The order was sent out, and the very next day Jusenkyo showed up to fight us," Meilin spoke softly. She looked exasperated as she eyed Khan again. "What happened to the soldiers stationed at Joketsuzoku?"

"At Joketsuzoku? We pulled them out of there," Khan informed her. "What do you _think_ we did? Since you two killed Jusenkyo, there sure as hell wasn't any point in keeping them there."

"What about the thing Jusenkyo wanted?" Meilin immediately followed up. "Where is it?"

"Still in the village! We left it with the elder there!" Khan yelled, sick of the questions. "Jusenkyo is dead! Who gives a damn about that thing?"

A fury raging inside of her, Meilin slammed her palms flat against General Khan's desk, her eyes facing downward. "She got us," Meilin hissed through her clenched teeth. "We think she and Jusenkyo are dead and we close the case, leaving her free to do as she pleases. That whole time she was just waiting and waiting for us to point her in the right direction. Right now, Joketsuzoku is probably…"

Despite his current state, Ryouga had heard everything that Meilin said. Weakly, he looked up at her. "What…what are you-?"

"Don't you get it, Ryouga?" Meilin shouted, seething with anger as she turned to him. "Akane isn't DEAD! She's-!"

* * *

In another part of China, hundreds of miles from the military facility where Ryouga and Meilin were located, large plumes of black smoke had risen up into the air above the Amazon village of Joketsuzoku. Down below, it was a scene of carnage. The earth had been raised up in some spots, lowered in others. Trees in the vicinity had been snapped apart like twigs. Buildings and homes were either flattened or ablaze, and, along the ground, the bodies of the Amazon warriors who once occupied those structures were littered everywhere.

Meilin's fears had become a reality. Joketsuzoku had been utterly devastated.

Among the wounded was the village elder, Cologne. Surrounded by the ruins of the place she had called home for so long, she lay flat on her stomach, her garment shredded as a result of a fierce battle that had been fought. The soil beneath her soaked in her own blood, the old woman struggled to raise her head. "You…treacherous…girl…!"

Cologne let out a groan as her assailant stomped down onto her face, forcing her head back down into the ground. The Amazon elder had felt anxious about what was to come for the past couple of days, but even she hadn't foreseen something of this magnitude occurring. And she most assuredly wouldn't have ever guessed who was to be behind it.

There, looking down upon the old woman she had bested, was a very much alive Akane Tendo.

Akane, as evidenced by the blood trickling down from her mouth, hadn't escaped the fight with Cologne unscathed. The clothes she'd borrowed from Meilin yesterday were torn all over, and she was favoring her abdomen with one hand. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but it was a battle she needed to fight in order to acquire what she sought. And, in truth, it was also a battle she _wanted_ to fight.

"You're even tougher than I thought," Akane praised the elder's strength, her somewhat struggling voice unable to hide the hurt Cologne had put on her. "If I'd fought against both you and the military, I probably wouldn't have won. I was right to let Ryouga and his bitch of a girlfriend finish off that pile of bones and make them think Jusenkyo was dead. Until I get my hands on Jusenkyo's Jewel of Eternity, I can't be taking too many risks."

Her frail hand outstretching, Cologne's fingertips clutched at the dirt in front of her. "Why…?" she mouthed.

"Why? Why what? Why am I doing all of this?" Akane asked in response, though she knew Cologne's ability to answer was severely compromised. "Because I can. Because I feel like it. And because I've just had _enough_ of this world."

As she leaned forward to get a closer look at Cologne, Akane pushed her foot even deeper into the woman's cheek. "I've always been a good person. I always tried to be nice. And you know what that got me?" she spoke, her tone frighteningly cold. "My mom died young. A bunch of boys ruined my school life by hounding me every day. My sister stole away the one guy I really liked. I even got stuck with the biggest scumbag of a fiancé ever. He made me fall for his little act and I started to like him, and then what did he do? He decided to get with some sleazy tramp of an Amazon instead."

Akane could hear Cologne's vocal distress as the pressure was increased upon her skull. "Typical, isn't it?" Akane spat. "That's how this world is. That's what it's become. And that's why, bit by bit, I'm going to _destroy_ it."

Akane's fierce hatred of Ranma and Shampoo was all she had to thank for her retaining her individuality. Upon coming across Ryouga and Meilin, she had told them that she'd thrown one of the men who had abducted her into the spring in which Sorceress Jusenkyo had drowned thousands of years ago. But, in reality, it was Akane who had been tossed into that spring right from the very beginning. Once she became submerged in the spring's water, it wasn't just Jusenkyo's power and knowledge that flowed into her. Jusenkyo had tried taking over her mind as well. The sorceress, however, came up against a will that was stronger than she'd anticipated. All Akane could think of was how much she hated Ranma, Shampoo and everyone else who had wronged her, and how much she wanted them to pay for what they'd done. And it was because of that hatred that Akane was able to fight Jusenkyo off in the end. The sorceress failed to overtake her mind, and from that point on everything Jusenkyo had worked for was Akane's to use in whichever way she so desired.

When Akane first emerged from the spring, the six men in black cloaks that were responsible for bringing her to China all bowed down in front of her believing that she was their goddess who would fulfill all of their dreams. Akane understood what their intentions were, though. She knew they had wanted Jusenkyo to take over her body, and it was that knowledge that finally pushed her over the edge. Those men were the first that Akane had killed using her newfound power, and she had done so mercilessly. Immediately afterward, she had thought she might regret doing what she'd done. As it turned out, she didn't. In fact, she even felt _good_ about doing it. One of the men somehow managed to survive Akane's initial attack, but he likely later wished that he hadn't. Akane would torture that man ruthlessly, burning him to a crisp in the process of finishing him off. Once Akane had some time to think and formulate a plan, she would then use that man's remains as a stand-in for herself. She would control what was left of his body, using him to wreak havoc upon the land and leading everyone to believe that he was the real Jusenkyo, thus allowing her to avoid suspicion. She had even altered the scene at the cursed springs to back up that charade, hence why Gibbon's findings when Meilin had sent him there only seemed to confirm Akane's innocence.

Akane knew what she was after. It was just a matter of finding it. When she ran into Ryouga and Meilin, it was purely by coincidence. For Akane, it was also very fortunate. Using her connection to Ryouga, she was able to stay close to someone privy to sensitive information. She even got Ryouga to teach her how to work the military communicator he and Meilin had to carry around. The more destruction Akane allowed her puppet to cause, the more the military dug up information on Jusenkyo. And then, the night before yesterday, that message she'd been waiting for had come while Ryouga and Meilin were busy fooling around in their tent. Thanks to Jusenkyo's knowledge, Akane was able to understand the Chinese writing. She had learned then that what she needed was in Joketsuzoku.

With the currently limited capacity of her magical power, Akane didn't want to fight an entire army of military personnel and Amazons that included Cologne. That was when she came up with the idea to let her puppet fall to Ryouga and Meilin, but only after providing the illusion that it had killed her before being defeated. With that, she correctly assumed that the military would leave the Amazon village, making her job much easier. The problem for Akane, though, was the timing. She saw in the message that a transport would be sent for Ryouga and Meilin early the next day, and her puppet was so far away that she wasn't sure it would make it before the helicopter arrived. That was why Akane had deleted the message from the communicator and not told anyone of it. Without seeing the order, Ryouga and Meilin had continued on their westward course, effectively cutting the distance that the false Jusenkyo had to travel to make it to their location. With that, the plan Akane had devised was good to go. And it had succeeded.

Now, setting her sights on something on the ground, Akane's eyes shone with satisfaction. Sitting at her feet was an object—glowing with a dark violet hue—that had fallen from Cologne's person at the end of their battle. It was the one wooden cube that Cologne had held onto, and the very item that Jusenkyo, or rather Akane, had desired.

"And if I'm going to destroy this world," Akane smirked as she reached down and took the cube into her hand, "...I'm going to need _this_."

Cologne made a weak attempt to grab the cube away from the girl, but Akane merely swatted her hand away effortlessly.

"Was that what you wanted to know? Or…were you asking why I'd done this to you and this village specifically?" Akane inquired, her mood beginning to sour again. "If that's what it was, it's easy. I did this…because Shampoo never would have come back to Japan if it weren't for you telling her to. Everything with she and Ranma happened because of you and this village's ridiculous laws, and you all deserved to be punished for it."

Akane removed her foot from Cologne now, her icy eyes still glaring coldly at the badly injured woman. "And I'm not done with you, either," she declared. "Not _yet_."

Holding the cube up by her mouth, Akane closed her eyes and began to speak. If her words weren't inaudible then they were extremely quiet, because Cologne couldn't hear a thing the girl was saying. What the old woman was witnessing was Akane reciting a spell provided by the memories of Jusenkyo that she'd been given, and its purpose would soon become clear. One at a time, the six sides of the wooden cube with their peculiar, glowing markings began to fall away. As the last one dropped from Akane's hand, the item that had been sealed within the cube was revealed. It was a small slab of crystal, glowing brightly with the same violet color as its container.

Akane couldn't have been more pleased as she observed the crystal in her palm. Everything had gone perfectly. With the unsealing done, she began to walk away from Cologne, heading instead toward something else she required.

Among the bodies laying all around Joketsuzoku, there was one in particular that hadn't come from the village. The corpse of a very tall, slender man was also there—one that Akane had brought along with her. There was nothing special about it; it just happened to be of a size she thought would be useful.

Akane knelt down beside the corpse, and, slowly, she raised the glowing crystal to her lips. "It's time to wake up," she whispered to it.

Taking the crystal, Akane suddenly drove it into the corpse's chest directly below its throat. She stood up and backed away from the body, eager to observe what would happen.

Not even a few seconds had passed when the entire corpse became surrounded in a pitch black aura. The aura swirled all around the pale body from its shoulders to its fingertips, its thighs to its toes, its waist, its chest, and, finally, to its head. At every point, the body's muscles expanded. Though it was still slender, it had become noticeably fit and muscular. The process eventually came to a conclusion, at which time the dark aura entered the body through the skin, vanishing completely from sight.

Having seemingly been provided new life, the eyelids of the corpse shockingly opened. Its movements stiff, the body sat itself up, the irides of its eyes completely white and unnatural-looking. Its head shaved bald and the rest of it still donning the worn clothes of its previous occupant, the body, much to Akane's pleasure, seemed to have relatively little difficulty getting to its feet. Standing at over seven and a half feet tall, it loomed over Akane as if she were a mere child.

Cologne could only look on in disbelief, absolutely stunned at what she was seeing. This corpse, once lifeless, had somehow become alive.

"Welcome back," Akane greeted the creature. Raising her hand up, she placed her index finger against the giant body's chest, creating a mental link between she and the being for just as long as was needed before stepping away again. "You should understand Japanese now. And you should know what happened, too. Am I right?"

The body looked down, setting its eerie eyes on the girl before it. "Yes," it replied in a deep, drawn out voice.

"And?" Akane proceeded to ask. "You know I'm not Jusenkyo. Will you still serve me?"

The creature's large body lurched forward a step, but it bore no ill will toward Akane. "Her resurrection did not go as planned, but she lives on through you," it answered. "You are my master now. My loyalty lies with you."

The soul that had rested within the glowing crystal was now the owner of the once-dead body. It was the soul of one of Jusenkyo's two servants from long, long ago—one she had hoped to use once she'd come back to life. Because of what had happened at the cursed springs, however, the servant of Jusenkyo had now become the servant of Akane.

"Do you have a name?" Akane asked him.

The giant shook his head. "Mistress Jusenkyo did not refer to us by name," he said.

"What a horrible mistress," Akane playfully commented. She took a moment to look over her new servant, trying to come up with a proper name for him. "That way you look, the way you move, the way you talk…I think I know just what to call you. From now on, your name will be…Zonbi. Understand?"

Zonbi nodded his head, emitting a light growl to show he understood. "Yes, Mistress."

With that out of the way, Akane was free to focus on other things. "Good. Now then," she said, turning back the other way. With bad intentions, she again had the wounded Cologne in her crosshairs. "Zonbi, this person should be useful for your skill. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Knowing just what his new master meant, Zonbi lifted his arms at his sides and faced his palms upward. Instantly, the ground beneath his feet grew dark, almost as if it had rapidly rotted. That darkness would spread quickly, expanding outward through the ground until it included the area directly beneath Cologne.

"Do it," Akane commanded.

Suddenly, Cologne found herself sinking into that darkened ground. It was as if she were laying atop a thin quicksand, and, in her condition, there was no way to fight out of it. Though she tried to claw forward, her hand sunk into the ground, and the rest of her soon followed. With the remorseless eyes of Akane upon her, the Amazon elder glared back furiously at the one who had done this to she and the rest of the village. She wouldn't be able to exact revenge upon Akane, but she knew there were others out there who might get the chance to do so. For now, it would have to be left in the hands of the new generation.

With her one last breath, the Amazon warrior known as Cologne was entirely submerged beneath the rotted ground, nowhere to be seen.

Out on the edge of the ravaged village, Cologne's great-granddaughter had observed everything. Clutching to her chest the book Cologne had entrusted to her the other night, Aroma quietly wept as she watched the old woman disappear into the earth. "Granny…" she sobbed, heartbroken at her inability to help.

At Cologne's direction, Aroma had taken the book and made it to safety in time. It was excruciating having to hide even while knowing what was happening to her family and friends, but her great-grandmother had ordered her to do so. No matter what, she needed to get that book to Shampoo. And to that end, she had to stay alive.

"Good work, Zonbi. I think we're done here," Akane praised her servant. She was ready to move on to the next phase of her plan. "Time to go get your sister. You can find out where she is, can't you?"

Zonbi paused momentarily, concentrating on locating the one Akane spoke of. Gradually, he turned to one side, pointing off in an east-northeasterly direction.

"To the east?" Akane inquired. "Near or far?"

"Far," the pale giant replied. "Across the sea."

With that piece of information, Akane had a feeling she knew exactly where what she sought next was located. "So that was Cologne's plan," she thought aloud. "What a coincidence. We were just about to head there."

Their next destination set, Akane took her first steps along the lengthy trek to the east. "Zonbi, let's-"

"_Hey, who goes there?_"

Hearing a male voice—one she was certain she'd heard before—Akane brought herself to a stop. As she spun around, she watched as two men, both dressed in long robes, ran up and faced she and her servant with weapons drawn. Both of them were sporting long, black hair. One, slightly taller, had a large scar across his face, while the other wore a thick pair of glasses.

Akane recognized the visitors. They were the male Amazons, Mousse and Jynn.

"A-…Akane Tendo? It can't be! Is that…you?" Mousse adjusted his glasses, wondering if he was seeing things.

"What happened to this village? Where is Elder Cologne?" Jynn, the former acquaintance of Li and Meilin, snarled angrily at Akane. "Were you the one who did this?"

Not pleased with the appearance of the two, Akane exhaled deeply. Though, just as with Cologne, Akane also had reason to be glad she'd run into them. "Mousse. Because you were so incompetent when it came to winning Shampoo over, she kept on pursuing Ranma until he fell for her," she spoke, brushing her hair back. "And…Jynn, was it? You were part of the group that brought Ranma and Shampoo here to China. Because of you, they ended up growing closer to each other."

"Wh-what are you saying, Akane?" Mousse shouted. "You didn't really do this…did you?"

Akane didn't waver in the slightest as she eyed the visually-challenged martial artist. "That's right. It was me," she admitted without hesitation. "And both of you deserve to be punished, too."

Mousse couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had Akane really done this? He just couldn't fathom it. "D-…don't joke around like that, Akane Tendo!" he pleaded with her. "There's no way you would-!"

"Mousse, open your eyes!" Jynn snapped at his longtime friend. "Don't you see the damage she's done here? This girl is clearly Sorceress Jusenkyo."

"What?" Mousse gasped.

Jynn was ready to go after Akane, and he hoped Mousse would be, too. Akane, however, didn't seem especially eager to engage them.

"Sorry, but I'm not in any shape to fight again after dealing with that old bag. You'll have to settle for this guy instead," Akane informed them, glancing back at her towering servant. "Zonbi?"

At the urging of his master, Zonbi stepped forward, his neck cracking loudly as he loosened up the muscles around it. If Akane was unable to fight, he would gladly do what needed to be done in her stead.

"As you wish, Mistress."

* * *

**End of "A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part II: Queen of Extreme"**

Author's note: You didn't _really_ think I was going to kill Akane off, did you? And throw away the absolute perfect antagonist I've been building up for the last six years? Psh.

Holy moly, Part II of the story is finally finished! Only took me…four and a half years? The beginning of it went pretty slow at times, too. Like in 2011, for example, I think I only put out three chapters that year. Last May, though, I came back with a vengeance and was determined to get through this thing, and 16 chapters later it's done at last.

Thank you to those who are still following along, and especially those of you who've been giving me feedback along the way. I appreciate you guys taking the time to do that more than you could imagine. Believe me, I read every review thoroughly and they are extremely helpful.

I know this part of the story got away from the central theme of Ranma and Shampoo a little at first, and I know a lot of people bailed on it back in 2009 once they saw that Kodachi was going to be getting some focus, so I'm glad at least some people decided to stick around. I'd always liked Kodachi and felt she was an incredibly underutilized character in the Ranma series, so I really wanted to do something big with her. Had a ton of fun writing everything involving she and the other gymnastics girls, and I love how it all turned out in the end. Hopefully it was as entertaining for you guys to read as it was for me to write. And, oh yes, the saga of Kodachi isn't over yet, either. =)

Which I suppose brings us to Part III of the story, a.k.a. the final part. I've been entirely focused on wrapping up Part II up to this point, so I'm going to need a bit of time to iron out a lot of details for Part III. Once that's done, though, I think I'll open up with another short interlude like I did after Part I, and then we'll get to finishing up this story in what is going to be an extremely wild and action-packed Part III. It's probably too far out to tell, but I don't think it'll be nearly as long as Part II was. Might only be around 15-20 chapters or so, although they will be a very busy 15-20 chapters if that's the case. We'll have to see how it goes.

So, again, thank you everyone. I'll be back with a short interlude when the time is right, and until then I hope you'll all look forward to the grand finale of this ridiculously long story of mine.

_**Coming soon, it's "A Midsummer Night's Beauty, Part III: Requiem for Youth!" See you then!**_


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